


Colors

by Cutegirlmayra



Category: Colors - Fandom, Cutegirlmayra - Fandom, superheroes - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Original work - Freeform, Superheroes, cutegirlmayra, syfi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-04-17 14:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 177,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14191140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutegirlmayra/pseuds/Cutegirlmayra
Summary: A young runaway girl discovers a young Alien creature, teamed together, she then develops amazing and colorful powers. With other Super heroes and Super villains running around, she wishes to just follow her own moral code, and not gain any enemies. Once Rocket man's side kick, Jet, discovers the neutral party girl, he then makes it his task to convince her to join the right side!





	1. The Mysterious Alien

**Author's Note:**

> My first novel, enjoy!

**_Colors_ **

 

By: Cutegirlmayra1 (This is my first time writing an original story, So I'll need help. Please send me any information you can possibly find(and please, in lame man's terms, no website links unless it's REALLY good) about Light and its properties and such. Thank you, and enjoy Chapter 1!) *Editor/Beta Reader: Strifenhart

 

Ch. 1

 

_The Mysterious Alien_

 

In the downtown city streets of Koleroy, the black of the night reigned supreme as the whispering wind carried thick dust that tousled newspapers, glass bottles clanked as they rolled down obsidian roads. Barely a noise rose above the heavy lashing of the passionately passing winds—except the footsteps of a cloaked man. Pulling up his long, dark grey coat collar and hurriedly walking by an abandoned building—which had been shut down from all sorts of problems—problems that didn't stop _me._

 

The grimy brick walls were a dark red, and even at night, they appeared stained by that dual killer of all things beautiful and decent: time and neglect. It was a few stories high, and probably the highlight of its era,… or at least, it could have been. But not now. Not ever again.

 

The part of the building I lived in had a gaping hole in the wall which led to an alleyway, opening out to the side-markets of the main city street. Here, street-born kids would lie about their ages to rub shoulders with newsboys or shoe shiners—heck, any kind of work to avoid starving on Koleroy's cruel pavements, covered in gum and rising weeds from sidewalk cracks. Even nature rebelled against this forsaken town of washed out… well, everything.

 

On the sides of the market lay a dead and forgotten highway that stretched over the first of three large descending tiers. There stood an elongated, pearly white gate up at the tippy top of the first rolling hill, above all our misery. The city slums below gave striking contrast to the white, glowing buildings that shone like dumb little twinkling stars in the sky. Bustling, smiling people living in blissful cleanliness. Only because they could afford fresh air, while we coughed through the smog that rolled its grey blanket over us like a cover sloping down the tiers, tucking us into this miserable life. I resided in the middle slope, a beat up and worn out ghetto where it wasn’t uncommon to see a child working late, no one bats an eye at it, or even runaways living in buildings like mine. Before this block ended, a turn veered you to my humble abode. I call it ‘humble’ only to show some pity for the site I dared to live in. The place must have been wrecked by some Supers’ fight or an earthquake. Maybe both. A crack could be seen stretching its reach to the far ends of the alleyway it faced, before turning off to open up and lead you to my fondly named, Hippie Cave. A broken entrance that a hero might have punched a man through or a villain blasted to get into. Yeah… this was home, _sweet_ home.

 

I slipped off my backpack, placing it on the opposite side of my ripped-up, green vinyl bean bag. I pulled on the dangling chain of my black banker’s lamp that stood on a small legless box stand, shining light down on my homework. It would blink every hour—I timed it—kinda like how your eyes grow weary and droop when the night sets in and your homework still isn’t done. It has been three years since I ran away from home at the _tender_ age of fourteen, and you better believe I wasn't going back. I disowned my parents, my life of pleasant but boring middle-class routines, and journeyed far out into the city, hoping to start a life that I could be proud of. Well, that wasn't working out so well… but you've gotta give me props for hanging in there, right? Because you can’t just pack up two suitcases and expect to start at a new school without some legal documentation…

 

I got these fakes from the agency I signed up with, a shady delivery business that seemed very _welcoming_ in its way of getting kids what they want, no matter what it was, for good labor. Just so long as you keep your mouth shut and do as you're told. I won't lie to you though, there were a few surprised—to say the least—faces when I stated that I wanted to attend the nearest school. However, they seemed to con me out of a few paychecks for the paperwork… Luckily, they were of good quality—just enough to slide past the school's radar and let me attend, believing I was living happily with my family in what looked to be an old apartment complex.

 

But, heh, talk about the mailman stopping by to see a huge, empty, and run down building with no mailbox. At first, he seemed confused, with a perplexed look on his face at the letters in his hands. But I would quickly dash out of the alley, thank him, and run through the old doors. Unlocked? Nah, broken through, but no need for excuses. These _citizens_ never asked anything ‘bout nobody. What you heard or saw? That's what it was. After the same routine every delivery day, the mailman just handed me my school newsletters. If there was something for one of the residents that previously lived there, he would just place it on the thin, silver railing at the building’s entrance. So you could probably guess that I did the same thing with electricity, but taxes? In this building? There wasn't much activity and no one really knew a runaway was living in a crack that led to one of the apartment rooms down on maybe the first floor. I usually just paid the electricity and that was that. My delivery business did pay well… so long as you didn’t get too curious, that is.

 

To get the money I needed for day to day basics, I had to get a job at some shady, underground joint… the only place that would even consider taking on someone with no skills like me. Never liked that place much though...

 

It put food on my table, I owed it that much. Why did I run away from home, you may ask?

 

 _None of your business_.

 

And if it is? Sue me.

 

I'll tell my story as I tell it. You want answers? _Keep reading along_ , and I might just keep it interesting.

 

_Might._

 

Rubbing my eyes from my early afternoon nap after school, I settled down and got my butt comfortable on the bean bag. Ah, just right. I got out my books and placed one on my knee, setting the others down beside me.

 

"Ah, chemistry, pfft." I mumbled out my distaste, "My old nemesis."

 

Kicking my heel up in a slow circular motion, I landed my foot precisely down onto the power button on the old remote. This would then turn on the snowy and unbearably loud television, even at its lowest setting. It looked to have been bought off an old 1970's catalog, and I had no doubt about it, judging by the previous owner's love of old technology. Regardless, I could at least begin to watch the news.

 

I moved in after finding, at long last, someplace that wouldn't ask me about my parents or where I came from. So I just threw a drape over the entrance of the basement to the rusted-down complex, bricked with pride at still standing after all these years in solitude. It seemed an old guy used to live here. A picture of him with his wife and dog left on the counter. I never moved it, their smiling and contented faces always made me feel at home, like a motivational cat poster telling me to never give up and stay on track.

 

The television turned on with the static almost canceling out the voices, but I got used to deciphering its strange audio and visual wavelengths. Beggars can't be choosers, but I was rather lucky with my choice of living. It kept me warm and out of the rain, no one ever tried to steal anything or visited for that matter—which was good because my only door was a piece of fabric. So I was one of the fortunate ones to find an unattended place with electricity, a working refrigerator, and some household appliances left unused.

 

As I put my reading glasses on, with a half broken temple on the left side, I placed my arm on the bed stand that held the banker’s lamp. I let my head lean on my hand for support whilst I studied, the mind-numbing series of letters and numbers on the periodic table had my full attention.

 

It was still the night, as most would consider, but homework was assigned to this timeslot. Thank goodness for time management. Because of this schedule, I could walk in the morning dawn hours and have some light to wake me up soon. Though, work liked to keep to the dark...

 

Suddenly, the sound on the television changed from its normal static and zigzagging of lines… the lame and bumbling newsman reported something that caught my curiosity.  
  


"It’s unbelievable folks!" he spoke up, looking to be a bit heavy set with sweat all over his forehead. His eyes would focus only a second on the camera, before swinging his head back to look at the action happening quite some distance behind him.

 

"Rocketman has once again—AH!" again, he flinched and flung his arm up to defend himself, ducking his head at some unknown object I couldn't make out on the screen.

 

Heh, three years lookin' at this thing and I _still_ couldn't tell what some of the objects were.

 

Gotta get on that someday…

 

"Way to man up there, pal." I smugly stated. Chuckling for a second as I spoke out loud, since the only company I often had was me and my own thoughts…

 

I situated myself forward, sweeping my fingers over my chin as I studied the fuzzy screen. The man reporting was balding, chubby, but had a sympathetic face that made you just not want to judge the guy. In what appeared to be his light blue sports coat with a tie that… I think is black? I don't know, the screen's too fuzzy, could be a light gray though. It keeps changing tones too rapidly to say—stupid television—but I love having you anyway.

 

Gotta be thankful for what you have, right?

 

_I'm gonna say right…_

 

Doesn't stop the world from complaining though.

 

He quickly ran up to the front of the screen, causing the broadcast to lose its framing.

 

"And there goes the, oh so important, cinematography shots that poor cameraman had studied and practiced so hard for in college."

 

The two ran away as the camera shook and moved all over the screen… heh, someone give that guy a raise. Regardless of his trained expertise, he was giving the people a shot of the _dangerous_ action while risking his and that reporter man's lives. A building collapsed not a moment later as two figures flew out of it, crashing into the next one over.

 

The news turned to commercials with a nice man showing off building insurances for specific Super attacks. Where were they when this old man’s building was wrecked? And why were they called _super_ anyway? They were just extra gifted is all, they shouldn’t need to be celebrities and fight crime and what not.

 

With great power… comes great fun.

 

Well, it looks like fun, that's all I'm saying.

 

"Sorry folks, let me explain," the commercial was hastily cut short, putting the broadcast back on track. Now, only a shot of the reporter’s terrified face was looking where he had ran and then glancing back towards the camera. Further and further they dashed away from the action, dodging debris while still trying to get decent enough footage of the scene. His boss might not be so pleased… but I was just glad the man had the decency to keep talking to the camera. "Rocketman has once again confronted Dark Destiny as he tried to make a curtain call on Broadway by attempting to murder the chief judge!"

 

He finally turned around, panting upwards as he slowed his pace and stood in front of the camera again. The camera panned up from behind the reporter, showing the fight still happening above and near the tall buildings. Even at a distance, it still looked pretty newsworthy for scared newscasters. The reporter fumbled with the microphone in his hands, not taking his eyes off the action while attempting to keep the show running. He pulled on his shirt collar, fully facing the camera and gulping at the terror he now had to turn away from. Poor guy… or maybe it's just his face?

 

How would you feel? Not being able to see the dangers behind you…

 

I just can’t understand why supervillains had to make a big deal about being put in prison and seeking revenge on their judge. You did something bad and got caught. Did you make bad life choices for a good reason? Would the judge be able to tell and allow that? Probably not, but sometimes I feel the real bad guys are the judges themselves…

 

Then again, who am I to complain about _other people's_ life choices when I made a pretty dumb one myself. A family wasn't so bad… when you had people who cared to feed you, at least.

 

Again, another large blast came from my television, the whole box raddled on its homemade tripod of outstretched pin legs that held up the television. Seemed a little old-school, but it was something nonetheless.

 

"Oh! Here we go, folks! It's Jet! Rocketman's faithful sidekick!"

 

Right on cue, as fast as a bullet, Rocketman’s sidekick flew with white clouds trailing behind him like a jet stream, causing a rippling sonic boom which had rocked my television. Jet crashed into another figure, who seemed to have blackened Rocketman's vision with his ability. I say this because Rocketman was tearing at the darkness that was misting around his eyes. The boy appeared to be Dark Destiny’s sidekick, almost my age, I assumed. Ow, though. The guy just slammed him down hard, with both arms stretched out in a fist towards his guts. Good luck in the prison hospitals, kiddo.

 

"What's this?!" the announcer’s voice grabbed my attention.

 

The top part of the building they were fighting around started collapsing. Surprisingly, the middle was holding up.

 

"Miraculously, the building has not completely fallen!"

 

"Uh, no _duh_."

 

It's like we didn't have _eyes_ to this man—unless—wasn’t that his job?

 

"Has Jet successfully taken down Shade, the evil sidekick of Dark Destiny!? We now await the heroes to come out with their defeated enemies in custody!"

 

I swear, why do I even watch these things? Obviously, the heroes don't kill the bad guys, but they _always_ win, even when some people die in the process. They _always_ win… at least, that's what the news and media state. Goodness, such propaganda.

 

Suddenly, more of the building started to collapse as people gasped. I, also intrigued, sat up from my bored hunch on my bean bag and dropped my hand to my knee. My eyes studied the screen… did they make it out?

 

Weren't they strong enough..? Ugh, They should be! With a rep like ‘Super’, they had something to live up too…

 

"We don't know what's going to happen next, folks! Rocketman and Jet haven't successfully made it out yet!" The news anchor was more anxious now than ever.

 

"You don't say..?" I liked to mock the drama.

 

"We can't see anything in this rubble. We need to move farther back."

 

The man started coughing as the dust finally settled around them. They apparently weren't very close to the action, and who could blame them? Their bosses, that's who. They'd call them cowards, the poor things, just because they don't want to be crushed under rubble.

 

Out of the building, Jet rose up in a greenish blur. Landing down, the black part of his outfit looked dirtied up as he breathed heavily. Over his shoulder was Shade, seemingly unconscious, but where was Rocketman…?

 

The suspense…

 

Must be killing other people who actually care about these Supers.

 

You know, the ones with their action figures and stuff? The collectors might get excited since a hero's death meant the value of their toys—that they never opened—would skyrocket, excuse the pun, and considering Rocketman is so popular already…

 

"Where's the Rocketman himself? The crowd is silent as we wait in total suspense! Jet is handing Shade's body over to the authorities, now he’s diving back into the fray!"

 

Jet looked pretty young and buff, but Rocketman? He's been around a while, probably not in his ‘glory years' anymore, so I'm genuinely beginning to wonder if he’ll survive or not.

 

Surely enough, Jet had an arm around his hero, pulling Rocketman out of the building’s debris. He looked wrecked with exhaustion. Dark Destiny’s power of controlling dark forces had Rocketman scraped up with scratches and gashes on his arms from the demons DD had summoned. DD was the nickname that his fans gave him, though he'd probably hate it due to its resemblance to an old kids show about a boy genius and his sister… But where was the villain?

 

"The police are approaching him now. Let's wait for the results…"

 

The man placed a hand on his earpiece.

 

"F-folks—I don't know how to relay this but…” He stuttered a moment, causing me to lift my head up from my hand and narrow my interests onto the screen.

 

He looked almost in a state of shock, staring off at something as though frozen in time. “Dark Destiny has not made it out… _alive_."

 

I will sincerely admit, my eyes widened. For a hero to be unable to save even the villain, that was kinda… well, cruel if you ask me. If he did it on purpose that is. I sat back and folded my arms, there goes some kid's profit on his limited edition DD comic book or whatever. Not very shocking that supervillains have fans too. I always laugh when I think of the parents though, they freak out about their kid liking the criminal over the hero. When… death is just a sad thing regardless of if it’s your child’s favorite character or not. Good or bad. The fact that they profit off of it is the real shameful crime if you ask me.

 

"This is… an unfortunate turn of events.” He shifted his body back towards the camera, his eyes still fixed on the advancing scene before him, but he himself still seemed in the moment.

 

The audience was waiting on him, hanging by his last words, but I couldn’t help and feel more transfixed on him. Because there was something so human in his long, thoughtful pause.

 

He turned back to give his full attention to his job, needing to carry on with reporting the news, but at least he took a second to feel the events around him. However, my growing respect suddenly diminished by his next, corresponding phrase. “But as they say- _Evil never pays."_

 

_How arrogant._

 

I looked at my tilted clock, dangling from a shoelace tacked in place on the wall. But the string hung so far down, that I strung it twice around the sturdy pin, which did cause it to dip slightly, but at least the lightweight clock held somewhat above eye level. "Hmm… work." I sighed, looking down at my unfinished homework, taking my glasses off and rubbing my eyes. "Typical Tuesday…" Flipping a corner of the paper up to get a better look at the pages, I fell back on the bean bag and groaned. Throwing the papers to the side I got up, turning off the bank teller lamp with a fake smile. I took the remote and headed to get dressed.

 

I was seventeen now, I should know how to take better care of myself or at least my time. I walked into my rusty bathroom that made even the termites shriek. Though, there's not enough wood left for them to chew on anymore, anyway. I took my old toothbrush and started getting ready. My light blue eyes looked back at me nonchalantly through the dusty mirror. At least I could see. I took my comb that was missing teeth, but you live with what ya got, right? Placing my fingers in the missing teeth spots, I brushed my dirty blonde hair, trying to get all the tangles out and look presentable. No makeup, I don't got money or time for that. Sometimes, I like to think my few pimples make a constellation, depicting my grand purpose in life, or something along those lines. Getting my old deodorant out, which kept falling off its thing, the dumb little…

 

I checked the clock, still got time to change.

 

I walked into my room, cramped but livable. I tied back some of my hair into a ponytail, letting the rest fall down. I found that if I made myself look younger, I got a bigger tip from the families I deliver too. They think my family is forcing me to work and all, like the rest of the poor souls down in this tier, but I don't care. More money for me which meant getting closer to _finally_ placing some ice cream in my ugly fridge that was completely indented into the kitchen’s ground on its side. To be frank, half the kitchen had a huge crack through it where the left side had jutted up in the white squared tile and grey grout. I found it fun though, jumping or stepping over it as I went to get water at night. It was just a pain when I forgot about it. I would slip through the a few inches of the crack and rip some of my pajama pants. I had more pajama bottoms than I had pants…

 

Pulling out my rickety closet drawer, which you had to kinda jostle a bit, I got out some old blue jeans. I took my current pants off and started wiggling into the new pair, placing my remote in them. I had gotten these jeans in a lost and found, thankfully, my size. Okay, maybe a bit big. "I haven't eaten in… just a few days right?" I mean, I had some rice bars and strawberry-flavored gelatin... that had to count as food right?

 

"At least my shirts are alright…" I reached up and got one down from the top, stepping on a drawer to do so. I put on a purple shirt along with a jean jacket. Getting my flats that rubbed the back of my heels uncomfortably raw, I reluctantly put them on and moved my hippie tarp out from the crack in the building. Stepping out, I always worried about thieves. Thankfully, I had the old man who used to live here’s old home videos. As I walked out, I pulled out the remote and clicked the button. At least the VCR was fairly new. _At least_ , in that man's time. The machine sucked the tape into the mouthpiece as I clicked 'repeat'. The tape was of his dog and him playing with his two sons, I suppose when they were all young. The dog's barking kept the neighbors up, but the thieves away.

 

"Keep that dog down or so help me, I'll kill it!" Old wrinkly Miss Guinevere was up in her bath cap and sticking her head out the window, shaking her fuzzy slipper as her big cleft chin always made me laugh and smile.

 

"Nice to see you too, Miss." I waved pleasantly.

 

"Darn kids!" she slammed the windows of her old apartment complex.

 

I felt sorry for Miss Guinevere… she once had this man with a smooth accent from some foreign nation, who used to cook her meals and sing her sweet songs that would put me to sleep. He was an old fella, but he seemed really, really nice to her. Sweet, old couple, I used to think. However, one day I didn't hear him serenade her. I had peeked up and—yes I did this, I was curious okay?! I had climbed her staircase on the side of the building and peeked through her window. She was sitting in her empty tub with her bathrobe on, which was the only window on my side of the building. But she was just sitting there, crying silently in her old Victorian bathtub, looking dead ahead at the wall. I saw her eyes pan over the pictures of flowers and a nice plain of grass where a cottage was resting peacefully near the side of the frame. I figured she must have wanted to live there with her fling, the foreign man. I wondered how such a sweet old woman never seemed to have been married before, or maybe she was, but her husband had died. In these last three years of squatting in the building next to hers, I was never close enough to her to ask.

 

"And for pity's sake! Get your butt off the streets!" she had reopened the window to lash out at me one more time. As I walked, she flung the fuzzy slipper at me, hitting me out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting it to hit so hard, turning around and rubbing my head.

 

"Ow! Hey!" I stopped in my tracks, but didn't have the heart to insult her, even if sometimes she did deserve it.

 

"Hmph! Serves you right. Scram!" she slammed the window, finishing her point with a big, old lady 'Umph!'

 

I sighed and continued on, but then raced back and picked up the slipper. The slipper had an old homey smell to it, and its texture was kinda soft. Maybe I could have something for night time now. Fewer cuts on my feet from the kitchen floor. At least for one foot.

 

I put it in my pocket, folding it up as it was floppy and able to do so.

 

I finally came up to the shady, underground delivery business, known to only a few as the KA7. I never did know what that stood for, to be honest, I don't think half the employee's down here knew anything besides their routes. Heading down the stairs, old Brutus stopped me in my tracks. "Excuse me, password."

 

"Come on, big lug. I've known you for two years." I placed my hands on my hips, almost defiantly as I swung on up to him. Charm always worked with Brutus. Someone had told me that a long time ago, and it's helped me ever since. "You're as endearingly filled with black soot as ever." Back in the day, the big old, broad-chested, Brutus worked as a chimney sweep but he never did step in time… But like most folks, solo-jobs aren’t sustainable. It’s better to attach yourself to a group or organization than try and make an honest business by yourself. Sad but true.

 

"You know the rules, Lilly. Never can be too careful." He took out a rag and wiped his face, he looked especially nervous and sweaty today.

 

"Alright, alright. Ooga Booga."

 

"Step right in to the office." He moved and gestured with an exaggerated bow to the door. "No hard feelings, right?"

 

"I take offense to every incidence where you ask me that dumb question." I stated, winking as I passed.

 

Stepping up to the office, a bunch of young kids were on computers all sectioned off in cubicles, typing in orders. The youngest had to have been about six or seven years old. It always made my stomach turn.

 

"Ya got an appointment, lady?" The dark-skinned kid, off to the side near the reception area, spoke to me. She looked up with her mic and earpiece held securely in place by a headband. I loved her curly black hair, she was so cute, it was a shame she had to be in this line of work to help her family. I could see her being the star in a popular kids magazine, if only circumstances in Koleroy were different.

 

"Hey Curly Top, I'm here for work." I handed her my ID for this rotten place written in fine cursive, which I couldn't really read.

 

"Ah… I see." She typed the numbers with wild swings, smiling as though this was the highlight of her day, while rocking in her seat as any kid would. I must have misjudged, she was more like a five year old.

 

"Here you go!" she chimed, giving me my card back. She then looked back at the screen, placing a hand dramatically on her mouth, her wide eyes tore away to mime a gasp towards me.

 

"…What?" I asked, seeing her expression as I put the card away.

 

She eerily crooked her finger at me, motioning me to come down to her level. In a chair that looked about right for a kindergartener, she lifted her butt up and moved the seat in my direction. Sitting down again with her hands together, as though preparing like an adult to deliver some hard news, she turned back with an excitedly scared expression for me.

 

"It's the boss, he's scheduled a meeting… _with you_."

 

Her whisper wasn't 'silent' or 'secretive'. In fact, I heard the whole room turn and look up from what they were doing to identify the poor victim of the day. A child's whisper was never to be trusted…

 

I gulped and got up slowly, "Well," my voice cracked a little, "best see what he wants then, hmm?"

 

She wasn’t smiling anymore. Instead, she nodded quickly after a moment before turning to her work again.

 

I nodded back, "’Kay…" and turned as I bit my lip.

 

Heading to the boss's office was never a good thing… or at least, from what I've heard.

The door looked stolen and shoddily bolted onto this door frame instead, the newspaper font written on the window’s sign read, "Knock once for valued customer, twice for an interview, and three times for appointment."

 

_Valued._

 

A word that meant very little to people living like us, and at the same time, everything.

 

I took a deep breath, and knocked on the door three times.

 

"Hold ya horses! I'm on the phone 'ere!" a man spoke up, a shadowy body leaned towards the blurred window and gestured something to me.

 

Taking a step back, I took another deep breath and patted the sides of my legs, looking around before the door clicked open automatically. I leaned out of its swing as a man in a nice jacket and sunglasses on his head smiled to me, his hands clasped together.

 

"Come in, deary. Come in! Got somethin’ special for ya!" his smile was contagious, as he reached down to his nice wooden desk in the middle of a dirt floor and pulled out a package.

 

I walked in and looked at the chair across from him.

 

He looked up and seemed confused, not understanding why I wasn't sitting. "Well, sit down. Don't act like a stranger. Not in my town, haha!" he kidded, speaking in an old slang. Family meant the world to some people, but I didn’t care at this point. I had that old man, his sons, and his dog. But maybe Family is what we were to the boss? I mean, he did accept almost anyone into the business but I had heard that one mistake and you're out, driven from town and such. There was a rumor that a boy had stolen a package, found some kinda valuable gold watch in it, sold it, and was living good for a while. But the boss found out, and no one knew what happened to the kid. The only thing we do know is that a few days later there was an announcement that the watch had been successfully... _delivered_.

 

"Have you heard about old DD? Sad case." He was getting my files up on his desk, looking at two dark grey computers on either side of him. I didn't know why he needed two, but all the computer's here were old, so I thought maybe he needed the extra data space.

 

"Now, then. According to my records, yous a good kid. You deliver the goods, no questions asked. I like it." He motioned a lot and expressed himself like a business man with charisma, which made me calm down a bit. "Just how I like it. Glad to have it, glad to hear it." He sucked in his lips a bit, looking over some papers he had, and jumping to the front of his chair. "Here ya are, kid." He handed me the package, tapping it and licking the side of his lips. "Well, what do you think of that?" he grinned, almost beaming with excitement.

 

"…W-with what?" I asked

 

"Hello? Kid, read the title!"

 

He laughed as I looked down.

 

"What?!"

 

"I know, that's a lot of moneh!" he rubbed his fingers together. "And half of it's yours, kid. You know what a thousand dollars is split up?"

 

"Ice cream..!" I gasped out, but he just looked at me funny.

 

"W-what? Hahaha! Yous crack me up, kid! Now look…" he rubbed his head, looking nervous. "I'm gonna be honest with ya, kid… wes got some real, gen-you-wine stuff ‘ere." He tapped on the package, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it to look him in the eye.

 

"Heh..." he noticed and looked down, playing imaginary keys with his fingers on the wooden table a moment before hastily looking back up, seeming to really want my attention. "Look, focus here." His slang suddenly stopped, which immediately pulled my eyes back to him.

 

He took the package away from me, making me reflexively reach out for it, almost letting an objection cross my lips.

 

"You know the policy. Don't look, just deliver. Don't ask the customer questions, just hand it to them. And they'll know the password. This one, _in particular_ , is codenamed Death Star." He waved a finger at me and then lifted the package up. I looked up with my eyes as he shook it around, but it insulted me slightly how he thought I’d follow after it like a dog over a squeaky toy. I looked squarely back at him with a glare.

 

"Haha, you ain't stupid. Good. Thought maybe I'd pick the wrong guy." He held the package in front of me.

 

"Good carrier, means good business. You've got a good record, ‘been off my radar for _two years_ … impressive." He knew my track record, meaning he’s cared about my packages over the years. Just how many of those delivery items were illegal? And how severe were their consequences… That’s the thing about this business deal: you don’t ask questions, because you should never know what you’re carrying. "Just do as you're told, and no one gets hurt. Mostly, us." He let me take the package and placed both hands to his chest, showing he wasn’t really talking about me. "Good girl." He ruffled my hair around with his hand and got up. "Now then," moving to the map of Koleroy on the wall behind him, he placed his hands behind his back and almost bounced up to it with a bit of a swing in his step, giddy as ever. Smiling and facing me, he extended a small, steel pointer and giggled with his mouth closed. His eyebrows leaped a bit on his face, proud of fancy gizmo, and whacked the map so hard I flinched. "Now, from here, you're going all the way to the Big Shots Zone." It still threw me off how his previous rough speech had all been a façade.

 

I must have looked terrified to him at this point, because that was the top tier where the rich people lived.

 

"Heh, don't be so scared, kid. My men will keep you safe, just wear your hat." He tossed me a hat with the company's logo on it. A flat cap that reminded me of Brutus's old chimney hat he used to wear, or at least, something out of those days.

 

"Now then, take this to a nice lady up there, in Crescent Avenue. _Very. Very._ Important." He beat the location with his pointer, nodding with the motion in satisfaction as though the rhythmic hitting was fun to him.

 

"Now, off yous go! Go, go, go! Speedy delivery, come on!" he kicked the side of the desk, reverting back to his charade as I quickly raced out, holding onto the package.

 

What a strange day this is turning out to be. Was it even day yet?

 

"Good-" Curly Top tried to stop me as I dodged and weaved my way through the office cubicles.

I couldn't hear the end of her statement, Good day? Good bye? Who knows.

 

I walked up the endless and sleek asphalt that created the main road, lined with bright yellow road markers, connecting all three of the city’s tiers. Next to it was a deep, wet grey sidewalk littered with holes and cracks all along it.

 

All I could think about was delivering this package and making my way home with a half grand in my pocket.

 

Continuing on, I later noticed a black car suddenly climbing up behind me. He had turned onto the main road and was steadily progressing up the rounded slope towards me...

 

Trailing me up a few blocks, I noticed something was up. Holding my hands in my pocket with the package under my arm, I started to divert into the alley ways, seeing if I could shake him. The car sped up and followed, that's when I ran.

 

The car continued its pursuit. I found myself whipping my head back and forth, behind me and to the front again. The car was gaining, but there was no way it was catching me.

 

"Hey there! This looks suspicious!"

 

A voice out of nowhere rang over the car's engine as the car screeched to a halt. I plugged my ears, shifting the package and keeping it in my left hand at all cost. As I opened my eyes, there didn’t seem to be a crash, so I slowly turned around.

 

A boy, about my age, in a green and black super suit was holding out his gloved hand to the car as the smoke from the tires reared up in the dust.

 

"Who…?" My eyes blinked and narrowed questioningly at him. Was he a part of the boss's protection force?

 

"I'm surprised you don't know me!" he faced me with a swish of his hair after a moment of dramatic pause, which I swear he planned. His masked face looked charming with a glorious set of pearly white teeth and spiked-up hair that poked out a bit, but still short enough that it suited him.

 

"…Jet?"

 

"The incredible Jet!" he bowed to me with some flare before looking back up, a beautiful emerald green swirled unnaturally in his irises, like fuel through an engine. "Pleasure to be rescuing you today! Miss…?"

 

"Uhh…" I stared, a sidekick? I was being saved… by a _freakin' sidekick!?_ Of all the times.

 

"Well, Miss Uhh." He joked. Getting up, he then motioned behind with his thumb while his other hand rested heroically on his hip, "Who are these clowns?"

 

"I, umm... don't know." I admitted as he spun back around after hearing the car door open.

 

"Op!" he ducked, motioning for me to do the same, shushing me and smiling with a child's glee in his eyes. He crawled a bit like a jungle man over to the car's front.

 

"Hand over the package. It’s okay kid, we won't hurt you," a man walked out, seeming to be friendly, the kind of friendly a policeman would be.

 

I gave him a suspicious eye, turning my head to the side, and holding the package now in both hands.

 

"Come on kid, we're just trying to prevent-"

 

"It's-a me! Jet-sy!" Jet had propelled himself upward, steadying himself as the power was suddenly halted. He then launched down in a ‘Y’ formation, his feet downward and his arms spread out. Colliding with the tough looking, dark-skinned man in the suit, he shattered the man’s glasses.

 

"Woah!" I started running as Jet did his thing, fighting off the other men who started coming out of the car. They held something that flickered a moment in the light before pointing them straight at me and Jet...

 

_Guns!_

 

As I panicked, Jet punched the air causing a sonic boom as the men and their car flew back. One man got his leg stuck under the car and cried out in hysterical pain. Jet moved the car with another sonic punch to the side and grabbed the man out of the way as the other men started shooting. "Alright! My kinda day!" he grinned, shooting off at the speed of sound, the men flung backwards in his turbulence. As he paused again in the air, he spun his arms and created a whirlwind, turning the men to their sides on the ground and leaving them immobile. He was positioned like a propeller, windmilling in the air, but I didn’t stick around long enough to see the end of the fight.

 

After reaching the tier's gate that lead to the fat cat's society, I bent to my knees and started coughing. I couldn't breathe. It was cold. This mission wasn’t meant to be so _thrilling_...

 

Prevent what, I wondered. I felt the package in my hand... A vile? A potion like bottle?

 

I didn't know what it was, but the shape was discernible. I held it up to my ear and shook it, not like the boss said it was fragile or anything.

 

_Liquid. What was it?_

 

A man at the gate cleared his throat, turning my attention to him. "Ma'am? You need something?" he looked at me with a disgusted face, one coined by the rich when judging the lower station. _Peh!_ I hate the rich. I know I sound biased or prejudice, but they’re all really the same. They like to stay in their make believe worlds of grandeur. They like to keep the terrible, heartbreaking truths of life out of their delicate sights. I gave him back the same disgusted stare with no shame, as if he was scum, not me. He leaned back, offended, but I didn't care.

 

I walked up to him, placing the package on the ledge of his pearly white ticket booth window, but I refused to take my hand off of it. "I have a package to deliver."

 

The man just looked at me with that same expression, and leaned down to get something. As he did, I stuck my tongue out at him. However, he came up quite abruptly, startling me as I withdrew my tongue quickly back, hoping he didn’t see. His upper lip twitched a sneer. He’d seen it.

 

While he opened his big fancy book, I pushed myself up on the white, marble shelf that stuck out from the ticket booth. As I scanned the backwards letters, I recognized my business's name on it.

 

"See! That's me, there! Right-"I pointed to my name, but he quickly moved the book away. Looking back at it, he groaned at the smudge I made on its pure white pages.

 

"Now, look what you did!" he spat out and was about to lick his finger, thinking he’d clean it up. But he hesitated, not daring to touch it as though a rat had peed on the page. He searched around and found a metallic looking ticket that shimmered a little in his booth, taking that and licking it instead. Apparently, it didn't taste very good, because I saw him make another face and smack his lips. He wiped my fingerprint off the page with the ticket and seemed to brush me off, "You may… ugh… go." He pushed a button with his elbow, since he was holding the book on his arm and rubbing the smudge off with his other hand.

 

The heavenly gates opened. Great… It wasn’t so glorious to me, anyway. I walked into the demon's horde of sparkling houses with broad steps ascending up into their home-owners’ madness. I wasn't gonna be scared, the bad stuff was behind me. At least, I hoped so. You wouldn’t think anything ‘dirty’ happened here…

 

A woman wearing purple feathers was walking her dog, she took one look at me and gasped in a cry of surprise. Her reaction caused the dog barked as well. I barked right back, yipping at it as the woman pulled the leash back, looking horrified.

 

"Hmph… Richies." I cursed them, there whole existence! Not _one_ of them was good.

 

As I approached the house that was on Crescent Avenue, I took a deep breath. Looking at the address on the package, I wondered what was in here. I never questioned it before. I already assumed it was a drugged vile or any manner of shady things. But that never stopped my conscience from bickering about it with me…

 

Still, in the Richies estates? This was a bit new.

 

Maybe that’s why I was finally letting the questions sink in for once. What kind of mischief were the Richies pulling off today?

 

As I knocked on the door, a woman opened it expectantly.

 

The woman had short, almost bobbed bleached blonde hair. She moved it out of her face, trying to see me clearly. She looked like a young and thin fashion model, the kind that wore puppy-fur with spots. I say this because of the white and black, beige furs all over her. She didn’t look like the type of person to live here, definitely not the homeowner. Was she the cocktail girl, pleasant company, or..?

 

"Oh good, you're here. Listen, do you have the package?" She saw it in my hands. "Ah." She took out a mini purse after moving her furry coats aside revealing a sleek, tight beige dress underneath it all. She was really a twig this lady, with strong cheekbones that suggested maybe she was older than what I had first suspected. She opened the purse and pulled out the money, "In cash right?" How could someone have that much dough in such a small contraption!? She seemed to be waiting for me to take it, bouncing on her heels. Her legs must have been feeling cold in the outside air, considering her large furs only came to about her waistline. She kept surveying the area, sucking on her lower lip a moment before looking me over again. She seemed oddly hasty, eyeing the package. Shifty and fidgety, definitely not Richie behavior. "You okay, kid?" she said, as if she was concerned about me. Yeah, right…

 

"Um… yeah, here…" I was about to ask for the password when a man came up behind her, sticking his bowl cut out the door to talk to her over her shoulder. It threw me off as I rose an eyebrow. He had a maid slung around his arm, her outfit resembling a period piece of the typical frilly black and white attire, smiling as she seemed just a bit tipsy.

 

"This isn’t good, we need it now! He's getting more and more sober by the minute, and he's starting to refuse the drinks!" The man was sweaty, as he nervously spun  his head back behind him like a fugitive on the run. Was the maid his flirty interest or a hostage..? "If this is gonna work,-"

 

"Calm down, the girl's got it." She quickly snapped at him. I could almost hear her neck screeching like rusty gears when she looked back at me, trying to act natural, but she was clearly worried I would catch on to something in their conversation. She held a tight, thin line of deceit on her face as she began speaking to me again. "Here you are, sweetie." She faked a smile, handing me the money and putting it in my other hand, grabbing the package. "I'll just take that…"

 

_Poison…_

 

I gripped the package tighter, my eyes widening.

 

An old man's voice sounded from the side, "Come on! The party's just starting! Yeeeheee!" he hiccuped a couple of times through the sentence, sounding lost in his drunkenness and without care. Naïve. They were gonna take his money and have him sign over his estate. I bet she was his daughter, or masquerading as such. Her accomplice, a secret affair, who would waste their newly stolen fortune on riotous living.

 

My imagination played out the whole scenario for a moment. I felt angry at how they could trick a defenseless man.

 

I looked to the girl, then the man.

 

Ruthless thugs.

 

I looked to the maid.

 

The one who would hand him the spiked wine, probably not even knowing what it contained.

 

Or maybe she was in on it too?

 

"Umm… sweetie? Hand me the package..." she tugged on it, but I just couldn't let it go. Everything in me told me not too! It was too suspicious! At least with the other clients, I didn't know what it was. But this time… I knew… I _knew_ it was wrong!

 

I kept hearing the happy-go-lucky dancing and singing of the old man in the background and, for once, I didn’t care if he was rich or poor! He was a man! And they were going to kill him!

 

“What are you waiting for..?! Oh, Death Star! The password or whatever! Give it to me!”

 

She finally ripped it desperately from my tight grip as my eyes were distant, my ears still fixated on where the sounds of the old man were coming from. The image of the old man in my pictures at home rang in my mind like a numbing drum of guilt…

 

"Eh-mm... thanks…" she smugly said as she handed the package to the maid. The man smiled wickedly, starting to snap his fingers as if holding castanets. He tapped his foot on the ground, humming a sinister tango tune as he 'Oley!'d away.

 

The woman stroked a flirty hand against the man’s arm, as though joining in his fun, but then excitedly smiled back to me.

 

"Well…bye!" She slammed the door, "Mr. Joshten! Mr. Joshten! One more bottle of wine! What do you say?" her voice sounded so full of life, not a trace of ill intent. As I heard her footsteps retreating farther and farther away, the merriment inside of that house rose to a peak.

 

I stared at the bottom of the door frame, then the doormat, and finally my flats.

 

With conflict sparking between two moral greys inside me, I buckled my pride…

 

_...and walked away._

 

As I shuffled back into the boss's office, letting my shoes scrape the ground with a rough sound at each step, I heard my boss place his feet up on his desk. He began to talk away, as if relieved. "So, it worked out then? Splendid!" he laughed with the man on the phone. "And how was my girl..?" he leaned forward, giving me an eye, but more in a showman’s curiosity than hostility. I sat down and just sank into my spot in the chair, my eyes down and my soul vacant. "Really? Well, as long as she wasn't much trouble. Ahaha, yes. Love you too, lovely. Ta-tah!" he hung up, took his feet off the desk, and set his arms up on the table. His fingers happily intertwined together as he gave me his full attention, his head half down, eyes up with a seeming thrill I could only imagine was from a crime well played. "You... did good." He beamed a wide smile. "Where's my money?"

 

I slowly took out the money, company policy stated it must be carried in the hat…

 

Taking it off and giving it to him, he licked his lips again, back and forth. He counted the money like you would look at a deck of cards, right out in front of him. "Ho, mamma!" his gangster side wasn't all that terrifying, but the way he looked at money showed his lust for it. Kissing it a ton of times, he then leaning over the table to rub my head excessively. "You did so good, kid!" he happily sat back down at his desk, putting the money away.

 

"Ah..!" My share! I reached for it, but didn't stop him from putting it away.

 

"Wha..? Oh, right-o. I'm a man of my word." He took out the money, counting it again and handing me my fair share. I was surprised, he really was keeping his word.

 

"Now, do me a favor, and don't be getting my money into trouble, eh?" he smiled, flicking the green paper into my hand.

 

Taking my usual route home, I looked the money over.

 

_Blood money._

 

I didn't even want to touch it.

 

But I needed the food, a good brush, some bath towels, _Ice cream_ …

 

This was life, if I had an alternative... well, I’m not sure what I’d do.

 

However, if I saw that man's red face smiling in the paper…

 

With a big headline stating, DEAD MAN, POISONED.

  
I don't know what I would do.

 

Just then there was an explosion, half my money fell onto the wet pavement. "NO!" I scrambled for it, counting it, and sighed in relief. The wind didn't claim my ice cream... not today!

 

Taken aback, I turned and stared at a strange, oval sphere that had made a crater in someone’s front lawn. Suddenly, some snow started falling just as fast as the sphere had crashed landed. I stumbled over to it, my feet freezing and my hands and going numb from the cold. If it was a meteor, it would be hot, right? I put my money in my pocket, cupping my hands over my mouth to try and warm them up with my breath, but I was too shaky. I could barely manage to stop trembling in my shock as I looked at the thing.

 

Walking up to it, I held my hand out to try and feel any residual heat, but there was nothing. Stumbling towards it, inch by inch, I kept my hand out and lightly went to touch it. I winced at the heat that had burned my finger. Where’d that come from!? Placing my hurt finger in my mouth, I watched as coding suddenly flew over the sphere in a brilliant lime green. It turned the dinosaur-looking, steel egg into a technological contraption.

 

Stepping back, I slipped on some wet pavement and fell. "OW!" Landing on my butt.

 

Upon my shout, the thing burst open, like a spaceship.

 

When I looked up, I saw a brown, fluffy thing start coming out of the opened pod.

 

Scooting back, I saw it start to look around and notice me.

 

"Oh crud…" I thought, alien invasion…

 

It _had_ happened before. But that was in the desert, and some hero over there took care of that.

 

Critter-like sounds started coming from the thing, hovering towards me.

 

_A rabbit?_

 

It had long ears that flopped down and hung like dog ears. They hovered by its sides though, like wings but furry. Its eyes were clear white and it had all the characteristics of an animal. But that wasn’t the freaky part. Behind it, something started sparkling. I slowly leaned my body to the side before realizing this thing was floating… and behind it was a big bulge of light with all the colors of the rainbow. It moved like a big tail, and as if noticing my amazed stare, the creature giggled.

 

"What in the world…?"

 

"…Abu?"

 

"Uhh..." Don't get attached. Yes, it's cute, but it could also bite your face off. _No ice cream._ And all that regret would be for nothing.

 

It moved up to me, hopping down from it’s floating state and moving between my legs to my stomach. It sniffed me and giggled again, rolling over onto its back, goofily tilting its head to look back at me. Upside down and soft, I couldn’t help but be instantly charmed by this alien… thing.

 

"Dang, you're so cute." I spat out, unable to think at the moment. I was overwhelmed, expecting something, well… else.

 

"…Ute." It tried to mimic me, lifting its head a moment before flopping it back down.

 

"Uh…Cute?"

 

"Kuute."

 

"No, cute." I shook my head.

 

"Noute."

 

"Yuh… nevermind." I figured it was just playing with me. It’s possible food.

 

"Uhmind."

 

I face slapped myself to wake up, maybe I had passed out on the side of the streets, freezing to death. But the slap only hurt my face as a herd of alarms blazed through the streets. Sirens. I knew what that meant. "Quick! Come here!"

 

It looked scared of me all of sudden, flying quickly out of reach and looking untrusting.

 

"No no, friend… Frrriiieennd..." I tried to help it understand, opening my jacket. "Get in here!"

 

The police were getting closer, I could hear them coming down the lane. It was dead silent, of course someone would call the police after hearing the sound barrier break. The only real noise the night ever got here was the howling wind. They probably thought someone’s house just blew up with how intense the crash sounded, but only the lawn was really damaged.

 

"Come here!" I was franic, what would they do to the sweet little thing?!

 

"Ere!" it tried to scratch me, showing some killer fangs under that cute appearance. Obviously, I was scaring it, but I had to somehow warn it that danger was coming.

 

"Oh, come on! Ugu! Ugu!" I mimicked it as a final resort. It was now flying behind its container, peeking its head out in a bit of fear before leaping up and happily coming back over to me.

 

"Abu?"

 

"Yes, yes! Abu!" I jostled my hands rapidly back and forth, wanting it to get over here already. More sirens and lights started flashing, we had to move now. Maybe it was asking if I was a friend in its language or something? "Now please, hide!"

 

I had to, I just grabbed the thing and stuffed it in my jacket, Holding it as it struggled, feeling the scratches and bites on my chest made me almost cry as I ran home. Dropping the darn thing off once I got in my hippie den, it growled and hissed at me like a cat. Its long, sparkling rainbow was whipping in circular motions behind it, transparent and oddly swaying like a tail, flicks and all.

 

"Listen, I'm saving you from science experiments and lab testing! Be thankful you met a desperate person looking for a way to make up for her sins!" I cried out, rushing to the large mirror above my bean bag in the living room and making a winching noise as I pulled my shirt’s collar down. Already, blood had leaked out onto my shirt, but not just that… I took my shirt off.

 

"Ooooohh. What..? why..?" I looked at all the marks, wanting to touch it but knew it would kill if I did.   
  


"Grr!" I looked to the stupid thing, "I hope you realize I don't care _what_ happens to you anymore, freak!" After that, I rushed to the bathroom, taking a quick shower. The cuts stung at first, but after a delicate rinse, I carefully pressed a washcloth over the cuts to stop the bleeding. Hopefully, they would scab up soon.

 

When I was done, I took my robe and put it on. Twisting the towel with my wet hair up on my head, I looked at my bloodied clothes and sighed. "Great… a bunch of my money's going to the laundromat…" I pfft'ed a wet piece of hair out of my face and then manually moved it.

  
"Hello? Creepy rabbit… thing?" I peeked my head around the corner into the living room, not seeing anything. "Well, that was also a waste." Walking back, I took my money out and hid it in one of my drawers. "For later…" I whispered, and rubbed the drawer's top, but remembered how I had gotten it. The thought made me frown once again. It may have been my imagination, but the boss had treated the package so highly…

 

Sighing, I moved on and got my pajamas. There was no way I could make up for what I had done by saving some alien creature. Who, in all honesty, was probably gonna take over the world with its hair balls of cuteness.

 

Though, that was probably my imagination too. Still, at least the anime people would surrender happily…

 

I looked up from my thoughts after hearing a crash in the kitchen. Getting up, I heard the same noises again, and looked up dumbfounded, "Oh… no, oh-no,… oh no, oh no, oh no!" I felt every bit of my heart sink when I walked into my kitchen. The fridge had been ransacked as the floating ball of dark caramel hair began stuffing itself with all my food supplies. It was literally digging through all of it, devouring any food or drink in sight, like a meerkat looking for grubs.

 

"…No…Oh…no…" At each word I gasped for air. All my food… my precious food that I had spent _weeks_ saving money for was going down the tiers to the gutter.

 

My mouth hung open and my eyes widened at the creature who looked back at me with total innocence. It smiled with a piece of celery in its mouth, "Ah! Abu! Susu!" It spoke out cutely, doing a little dance back and forth before going to the ground and eating anything that had fallen from its grubby clutches. It opened its mouth to a box of cereal, but once nothing came out, it looked confused. Shaking the box again and finding nothing was ever going to come out, it peered down into the crack in the kitchen floor and smiled. It wiggled its butt excitedly, diving into it after tossing the empty box. Coming out, it held a carton of milk and started chugging it down after figuring out there was a lid on it.

 

" _I hope it's spoiled…"_ I growled out.

 

Tomorrow was school…

 

And this… This _thing_ was now attached to my humble hippie abode, eating my food, taking a dump on my floor.

 

_What's next… the second coming?_

 

 


	2. The Mysterious Color

**_Colors_ **

By: Cutegirlmayra (Okay, so like, forgive any spelling or grammar errors.  _ I try.) _

Ch. 2

_ The Mysterious Color _

_ The next morning was like a fatal punishment enacted by the wrath of God. _

_ Just like the few mornings beforehand when it continued to ruin my life... _

'It's all because I delivered that man's death like the Grim reaper…' I told myself, waking up in my cramped room with the mattress on the floor. My hair was a mess, not just from waking up, but from all the cleaning and wrestling I had to do with that alien bunny rabbit. I swear that thing was evil. Just… cutely evil. Its evilness was only rivaled by its innocent appearance. But it sure made me hungry for rabbit meat.

_ Is it rabbit season, yet? _

Speak of the devil, when I got up and ready for school, I found it laying on my green bean bag, fast asleep. Its tail made of rainbow light swished gently in front of it, curling around its soft, furry body stuffed full of my precious food. I could still see its face through the odd tail though.

**_Get out._ **

I lifted the bean bag, making the creature roll off and gasp as it woke up and  _ Offph!’d _ as it hit the ground. "Ouu?"

"No.  _ Out _ ." I stated, quite angry. I hadn't slept on the soft side of the mattress…

Walking outside with my backpack and school clothes on, which thankfully passed me off as a normal student at the school I attended, I heard the little demon whine from inside the hippie den.

Growling, I turned around, "What?" I stated bluntly, not amused in the least. The little thing had hopped up to the drape on the entrance and lifted it up with its head, sitting on its back legs. It seemed sad to see me go, its big fat eyes looked to me with such sorrow and dismay.

"Oh come on, you're barely bruised!" I could see its tears forming, its lip slightly trembling like a child's. "…You’re kidding me." I exasperatedly fell limp, letting the backpack slip off my shoulder a bit. "You're  _ flippin' _ kidding me…!" I glared back at it, fed up with its ruse.

For the next few minutes, I held it like a baby in my arms and rocked it back and forth. I leaned down to get the paper, moving back inside and sitting down on the bean bag. I bounced it on my knee as I looked over the neighbor's newspaper. I would give it back,  _ when I'm done _ …

The lede caught my attention away from the alien's odd giggles as it seemed to be cheering up. I leaned forward, shocked as my eyes honed in on each word.

**Rich Man Robbed!**

_ KOLEROY—62-year-old Hud Joshten was robbed last week when a young thieving couple drugged him and took off with his safe, stashed with his retirement fund, from within his estate. _

_ No news on the culprits, however, it's sure to be a wild goose chase as officers are desperately trying to help detectives and superheroes alike find the culprits as we speak. _

I breathed deeply, in and out, the whole time thinking to myself: 'I didn't kill him, I didn't kill him. It's okay, I didn't kill him.' While another side of my brain ran wild and kept screaming, 'You're a thief too! You helped them! You're half responsible! Turn yourself in!' I shook my head.

No, no… no need to go to jail. I just can't deliver something like that again. I'll do something nice today… yeah, cancel out the wrong. It'll be okay… it'll be-

I turned my head to see that freakin' alien eating my last waffle from the fridge. "Why you little-!" It was so light, and I was so distracted, I didn’t even feel or see it fly out of my arms.

Not a moment before I ran up to try and strangle the darn thing into spitting out the last of my food that had survived its ravenous appetite, Miss Guinevere's voice had begun to ring out from her window. She must have slammed up the volume on her voice hard this time, seeing as her whole upper body was protruding out from the window as she leaned against its sill.

She ranted, "Young lady! That better not be another animal or so help me I'm buying a shotgun!" She forcibly closed the window with her sassy attitude and  _ hmphed! _ as she turned her face away from below the alley. I opened my drape and stuck my tongue at her. I still didn’t feel good enough to really let her have it.

"Alright, fur ball. I've got five hundred dollars from illegal activity that I don't even want to be affiliated with! But I figure if I use it on a righteous cause, like feeding a baby-looking bunny alien, I might get some brownie points in heaven and this heck on earth might be more bearable, eh? So why don't we make a truce. You can stay here and eat  _ some  _ of my food, and you do me the favor of leaving the rest for myself, deal?" I had it under my arm, its body locked in my hold. Its little arms dangled a bit as it looked up, and tilted its head.

"Afrig Abu?"

"…English is the hardest language."

I dropped the topic there and sighed. Letting it go, it drifted out of my grasp and floated near the back of my head, unsure of my actions. I probably had to train this thing, which was gonna be a hassle, but where else could the poor thing go? It wasn't trying to do bad… it just was.

Adjusting my backpack again, I walked outside.

I finally made it, three seconds after the bell but who really gives a care about-

"Lilly, late again I see."

The dumb hall monitor, that's who.

I stopped myself, my head up as I sighed a frustrated breath out through my nostrils and looked away. I had learned somewhere that by making eye contact, an animal might take it as a threat.

She licked her finger and happily flipped a page on her tardy slips, clicking her pen.

"Not a lot of action today?" I noticed that her pile had barely decreased today.

"Oh, you know. Stray mutts like you don't come by my patrol very often." She tried to kid — but oh, how bad she was at kidding. This girl didn't know the correct way to comeback at someone. And patrol? What was she? The mall cop of the year?

"Here you are!" she ripped off the slip and waited for me to take it. She had such a dumb smile on her face… She blinked when she noticed I wasn't reaching out to accept her  _ generous _ offer. "Ehem, I'll tell a teacher," she threatened.

"Or what? My mom?" I glared at her, tightening my grip on my backpack straps.

Her face morphed into surprise and then landed on anger, insulted by my childish quip. "My dad's a cop!"

"No surprise there…"

"I'll tell him!"

"What are you? In third grade?"

"Oooohhhh! The principal's my mother!"

"Wow, you must have lived a strict life. Let me guess, your brother's in the military too?"

Her face turned a bright red, I could have bet my attorney a thousand dollars I was right. 

_ Considering, I may need an attorney after this… _

The secretary placed me on a chair by her desk outside the principal's office, looking just as harassed as I was by this annoying, spoiled brat. She kept up her accusations against me, like how I _ forcibly _ didn't take the slip, or how I _ offended  _ her family by apparently guessing correctly about her brother. The secretary rolled her eyes, trying to shoo the girl off and assured her I would be taken care of. She placed her hands on her hips and turned around before heading out the door to take one final glance at me. "Hmph!" she declared loudly, her twin blonde pigtails leaving the scene as if she wasn't just happy  _ knowing  _ I was in trouble but wanted to actually  _ see  _ the trial at hand. I slouched in my seat, having my elbow on my knee and holding my head in my hand. Oh, how I wished me and that secretary could have a trial of our very own…

"Miss? Miss…" The poor vice principal came out, trying to say my last name.

I rolled off the chair, sighing indifferently as I tilted my head towards the woman’s pretty glasses and tied up brown hair, “Corelle.”

"Lily Corelle?" she repeated, and looked over the board she had in front of her.

"Hmm," she tilted her head, making it sound like she liked my name, or maybe it was just different and new to her. She went back into her office, but it made me feel more relaxed, seeing she was just doing her job and wasn't judging me. "Oh!" she ran back out. "I forgot to tell you to come with me, trust me, it's better than listening to Maril's mother rant about how precious her little angel is." She beckoned me, rotating her wrist to usher me in. Not even looking up from her clipboard, she walked back into her office.

Yep, I like her.

I immediately found myself trusting this woman, quickly walking into her office before the principal could come out of her own. However, the principal’s office was to the side, meaning I had to tiptoe to the left to pass by before entering the vice principal's office.

She had a quaint little place, very nice. Dog knick-knacks by the dozens, I hoped that it was a sign she was a good person though, ‘cause another fictional book character I know had cats all around her office…

"Alright, Miss Corelle." She put her board down, sitting and tilting her glasses lower on her face. It reminded me a little of a librarian. The dangling string of diamonds attached to the sides of her glasses shifted with her, twinkling in the lined light of her slightly closed blinds. But to be frank about it… She was quite beautiful.

She folded her arms and looked directly at me, her eyes were a brilliant emerald green and I couldn't help but stare at her natural beauty. Just a bit of eyeliner and cover up here and there. I guess angels really do exists.

"Miss Corelle?" she took off her glasses for a moment, and that's when I realized I must've come off as such a creeper, staring at her for so long. I quickly looked away, stopping myself from gaping any further at her looks. "Heh…" she let out a faint chuckle. Dang, she must of known what I was doing. "Ehem, thank you for the indirect compliment,” I felt embarrassed, seeing as she caught on to my admiring silence. “Unless I look like the old witch of the west." She teased, putting some more documents away.

I held my head down, "North…" I lightly breathed out.

"What was that?" she looked back at me, almost as if she didn't get it. But with her fancy vest, nice and form-fitting pencil skirt, she had the complete look of a modest, sophisticated woman. Gorgeous figure and all, plus she was showing mercy on me.

"You're not a witch. You seem nice." I stated boldly. Man, she made me feel like such a child, bashfully looking away was not something I was used to doing. I fidgeted and tried my best to act innocent, hoping to get out of more trouble.

"Flattery won't stop my judgment, young lady." She smiled, turning her direction to a noisy window. "Oh bother." She said this as if she was cursing.

_ Dang, no sweet talk? What’s a good plan B... _

"Now then, on your records, it seems you've been late quite a lot, Miss Corelle. Do you not live around here?" she asked, getting up to pull a blind down and look out the window at the student activities outside.

"Uh, no. Not fairly close." I spoke honestly, deciding it may be best to only answer the questions that I felt  _ should _ be answered. I didn’t want to give too much away. I had lived cautiously since I ran away from home, and I wouldn’t stop for a pretty VP, afterall, survival is based on never feeling safe.

"Ah, I see. No money for bus tickets then?" she turned her eyes tenderly back to me, feeling like a little ray of heaven’s light for a change. She later sat down again, having some papers spread out in front of her. A tree killer, I see.

"No, Ma'am."

I grasped the money in my pocket as discreetly as possible, I was going to the store right after school.

I hope I'm not missing much in my class…

"Alright, I see. You know we have a program for that, right?" she looked up at me, not a trace of prejudice, judgment, or ridicule for my position. I wondered if she was rich, but she looked fairly middle-class, I bet those diamonds were fake too. “It’s going to be alright. I want to help you.” she patted lightly the desk to try and sooth any worries, which was another sweetness I wasn’t familiar with.

I kinda leaned back in shock again, my mouth hanging open once more at how nice she was being. I had forgotten what it felt like, to feel someone’s kindness… Or at least, a genuine nice remark for bad circumstances.

"Child, you need to stop looking at me like you've seen a ghost." She stated, letting her hand fall to the top of the desk and looking at me skeptically. I swore I would have laughed if the word “Angel.” didn't come out of my mouth.

"Again? You are a sweetheart." She flapped her hand up and down, kidding with me again, as I blushed at my rambling mouth.

"The program is for children like you, haven't you heard of it?"

"N-no, ma'am."

"Ma'am? That's new for me. Do you think I'm old, Miss Corelle?"

"Do you think _ I'm _ old? You keep calling me miss and my last name. I'm pretty sure it's appropriate for you to call me Lily." I stated a bit more friendlier and bolder now.

She seemed to have a sense of humor, and laughed. "Oh dear, you’re right. Excuse me, I forgot the old saying: Do unto others as you would do unto yourself. Ehem, call me Scarlet." She outstretched her hand and I took it. "Miss Scarlet."

"Miss? I thought we were just getting friendlier than that!" I kid, and she laughed again. I swear, it was a laugh that could make anyone fawn over her.

"You're a funny girl, trying to get out of trouble are we?"

"Oh no, ma'- I mean, Miss. I just came in three seconds after the bell. I think Maril got bored and started picking on me."

"I wouldn't be surprised, for a girl brought up in a family like hers, she must be looking for any excitement to keep her dull life occupied…" she picked up her drink and sipped it, looking away as I laughed, knowing that's how I felt too.

"That, and being named after a Pocket Monster!"

The two of us shared a moment then, I haven’t laughed so much in years. I could see this being the start… of a beautiful friendship.

I was let go with only a warning. Thank you, my guardian angel!

I walked to class, having to enter late as my teacher slightly glared at me. He had a monotone voice, and whenever he gave a joke, he would look at the class with a facial cue as if saying, "Eh…eh? Did you get the joke?" It would take us all a minute to snap out of our daydreams and realize he was addressing us. Then we'd all have to think really hard for a few seconds that felt like forever, trying to remember what he had said through a mix of words that all had the same tone. So, after realizing we couldn’t identify the joke, we'd all just lightly release a pity laugh. It was a funny, but messed up world we all lived in.

"I see you were taking your time." He stated, and faced me from his earlier position from the chalkboard, since even the teacher's couldn't afford the fancy whiteboards and barely the overheads that all the rich kid classes had. We were  _ so _ segregated by wealth, even if the school kept saying it wasn't so. The mix of students who went here were the rejects of the top tier who didn’t make the cut, or the lucky few who came from the bottom tier because their parents scrapped enough casino cash to get them here. And then us from the middle hump of the tiers, who are barely getting by but able enough to survive. There were limited buildings for schools, ever since the secret schools were abolished because they ‘produced villains’ or something like that. The rich would pay for better school equipment and teachers for their kids, and the rest of us had to either be on the first floor or the basement. I, luckily, had one class with a rich kid's teacher for upstairs science class. Sadly, this current class was math…

He placed his arms behind his back, along with his pointer stick that made me nervous… thinking of my boss, but the teacher’s was wooden. He waited for me to answer him.

"Sorry, Teach. I got caught up in a _pocket monster_ battle." My light humor got some giggles as a few kids hid their faces, knowing exactly who I was talking about. Thankfully, she only had history with me.

"It's not 'Teach', Miss Corelle. I don't know what sad, sad child made that name up, but it will not be used in this class." His voice never went up or down, no emotion, no expression… Gosh, is this what studying math does to you? "Take a seat…" he seemed to be sad and disappointed, was he? Or was he just wanting to move on? Maybe bored of this conversation already? Come on, man! Give a girl a social cue on, please! I have no clue what you think of me!

That’s worse than knowing what someone thinks of you.

I walked over to my desk, still eyeing him for an idea of what he was feeling, but got nothing from the old man and sat down. A kid next to me kept staring at me, like he saw a fly buzzing around my head and wanted to catch it. I ignored him, like the rest of my pathetic existence…

Later that day, I was walking to my upstairs locker. Yep, you heard me. I had an old green locker up by the rich kids place. Did it ever bother anyone else how all the rich kids either lived  _ up  _ the hill, or  _ up _ stairs, or were always  _ up _ top of everything?

Anyway, I was walking with my head down, daydreaming a bit about my ice cream and hoping that dumb alien didn't poop all over my hippie den when two boys knocked into me, one after the other. My papers fell and I scrambled to catch them but with no luck. They fell, end of story. I looked at them with an unamused face, just staring at the disaster of all my classwork getting mixed up in other classes. The two boys snickered, turning around.

Wait a second, this isn't a typical _I'm getting bullied_ scene, is it?

"I heard you had a run in with my sister."

Oh, okay, that's a bit better. Not necessarily bullying but defending one’s honor, perhaps?

_ Now that’s interesting. _

"Your sister?" I turned around, not even bothering with the papers anymore. "So the pocket- I mean, the hall monitor is your little sister?"

"I never said she was little." He stated, gruffly. "She said you made fun of my brother."

Ah, three siblings. Let's hope the tree ends there, or at least, was burned off.

"I, uh… just said he must be in the military. Your family seems pretty…  _ respectable _ . I assumed someone would be in the service." 

_ Saved. _

"…Oh really? She told me you thought we were pretty strict and abusive." Him and his lackeys cracked their knuckles as if trying to be threatening.

I didn't even flinch. These were a bunch of small — thinking they're everything — freshmen. I wasn't even gonna  _ blink _ . "Abusive? I didn't say that!" I snapped back, then boldly put my hands in my pockets, which made their eyes pop out of their sockets at my cockiness.

"You think you're so cool, huh!?" he almost roared out. I swear, some kids are always looking for a fight…

"Listen, I didn't come to school today to learn about how to give a kid trying to defend his sister’s or family’s honor a black eye."

His eyebrows dipped into a sea of rage from the red flushing on his cheeks. He lifted his fist and looked ready to have at it, completely consumed in the fire of his fury.

I was about to try and calm him down, when some random guy showed up, a good five or six inches taller than me. I looked up next to me to see his scruffy, spiked hair and confident smile which caught me off guard. It was full of energy, as though he was finding this fun. Who was this guy?

"Hey! Who are you!? Some kind of bodyguard or something?" The little runt spat out. However, one of his friends looked a bit scared of this guy, as if he knew him or something.

"Nah, I'm her hero." He put an arm around me, smiling a happy-go-lucky grin as he closed his eyes and pulled me in towards him.

I was too shocked to say anything, one of the strings on his jacket was right up on my nose, and my face felt squished next to his frame. "Oi!" I shouted out at last, trying to push and hit my way away from him. Bad touch! Nice cologne, but bad touch!

"Calm down, I'm here to help." He whispered through his smiling teeth, not even moving his head in my direction. He lifted up his head and then opened his eyes to focus on the boys ahead of him. "Now, now. Let's not fight. Can't we-"

Please, don't be cheesy and say-

"Talk about this?"

…Yep, and with the questioning sound at the end too. What's next?

_ What do you think… _

“Jim, Frank! Get him!” The brother called out. I was then flung out of the way as the boys came at him, not liking his courageous spirit. He skillfully ducked out of the first punch, rolling himself on the ground to then hop up and slam into one of the boys. The boy, Frank, struggled as the boy in the jacket grabbed from behind, but Frank broke the hold, pivoting to charge after him. The spiky haired boy hunched himself to the side, having Frank jam into his shoulder and used the momentum to propel him over his back in a fluid motion. It flung Frank into Jim, making me stare and move aside as they tumbled back. Then the jacketed boy came up to the next guy, the brother. He bent his knees and straightened them up as if taunting him. The two boys regrouped as the brother lead the charge this time, trying to punch jacketed boy down, but he jumped high to the side like a freakin' ninja, knees still in as he rotated his arms and flailed them around in a circular motion to stay balanced.

I hung back, a bit in awe at his fighting style. It was like a scene from those old foreign action movies. The old and drunk, oriental man who secretly was a martial arts master, all of a sudden coming out to save his future student and fought like he was sober. Or maybe that’s just me hoping to learn a thing or two after this…

Jim bent down, trying to be tactical, and attempted to ram the jacketed boy like a battering ram when the jacketed boy quite literally jumped over him. Again, bending his knees as he landed, springy and full of vigor. The brother looked ticked off, going for another loaded punch. The jacketed boy dropped his body backwards, arms bent back to catch himself as the brother’s fist moved through the air. His hands pushed off the ground near his neck to catch himself like a dance move, then he swiped his leg to knock the brother’s legs out. The brother fell on his butt as this guy just sprang back up and spun around to Frank and Jim. At this point, they were trying to flee the scene. The brother looked up from the floor, leaning his upper body forward, scared out of his wits, about ready to cry. Walking at a slow pace towards the brother, the jacketed boy suddenly flinched up both fists, as though saying he was ready for round two to finish him. The brother, spooked by the sudden movement, took down the hallway faster than a certain egghead with a speedy blue hedgehog fast on his trail.

The jacketed boy looked off at the retreating kids rushing down the hallway. He turned back to me and flung his hair to the side with a quick toss of his head, but I think it was all just for show. That smile looked conceited, but I couldn't understand why it looked so charming on him. He walked with a bounce in his step over to me, brushing his hand on his neck and looking back at the boys who were out of sight by now, standing in front of me. Was he trying to act cute now? Faking a sigh, he tilted his head down and looked up to me, as though attempting to look embarrassed at his fleet. "You, uh…" he sniffled, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his jacket. "You okay?"

I stopped gawking to just glare at the boy. "I never said I needed your help." I turned around, heading for my locker. 

_ Please, let him go away. Please, please, let him go away. _

“Hey, wait!” I could hear his footsteps toppling behind me to keep up.

Nope.

When does begging ever work out for me, anyway?

Oh yeah… that old rich guy… well, at least some begging rings a phone up there.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how I nearly dodged the fire there. The old man could have died, but thankfully, he just lost some money. I’m sure he’ll be alright, he’s still alive and that’s what counts.

The jacketed boy came up to my locker, leaning against the one beside mine. His demeanor was very light and I slightly liked how he casually, but with a bit of style, graced his way over to me with a dancer’s swing in his walk.

"I, uh…” Oh, no… was he going to flirt with me now? “Heard some shady guys were out and about near the back alleyways.” From the corner of my eye, I could see him take his thumb and flick the underneath of his nose. He really was an attractive boy, well-fit and polished to look straight from a comic book. Though, I wouldn’t dare let on I was thinking that though. “I wanted to make sure sweet little girls like you weren't getting themselves into trouble." He looked away and then back at me, smiling still. Cocky punk. I don't need him to try and act like a superhero saving the damsel in distress.

_ But back alleyways? _

“I was worried not all crooks lurk in the dark,” he turned his back to the locker and put his hands behind his head, once again trying to look good. “I just felt the need to keep my eye out for trouble, you should too.”

"I'm fine." I slammed my locker, realizing I hadn't picked up my papers to place anything in them.

He must have noticed because he looked to the side, right at the papers all scattered on the ground, and then back to me. "Gotham looks rough at night, but check out the day." He joked and walked over to the papers, picking them up for me. I just watched him, fist tightened. I was  _ not  _ having a good day.

First it was my job, then an alien, and now this guy is trying so hard to be sweet to me I can't even… Wait…

I watched him more closely.

_ What was his game? _

Why was he being so  _ friendly _ with me?

_ Alleyway… _

"Anyway, I know you're upset. Most girls are when they're the tough kind like you." He held the papers up in front of me and looked into my eyes with no ill-intent. "I just thought I'd be nice. Let you know that there’s someone in this big wide world that doesn't want to see ya get hurt. That's all." He noticed I wasn’t reacting and seemed to decide to just hand me the papers, one way or another. He smirked with a kind resolution and took one of my unwilling and limp arms, flopping the papers into it. I slowly got a better hold on the various notes and homework assignments, keeping them close as my eyes slightly darted around. I hadn’t really been told that in a while… and he seemed pretty sincere about it too. Still, I didn’t need him looking out for me.

He placed his hand up to his forehead, flicking it in a farewell, and kicked his leg out to start walking off.

"Wait!" I called out. He immediately stopped as though I had cried out ‘Freeze _ ’ _ in a game of tag. He slowly pivoted back to me, without moving much of his legs he rolled on his heels in a bit of intrigue at my sudden request. He had a dumb expression on his face while he put his hand up to his ear, "Pardon? Did the lady say something?" he must have thought he was a riot, but it was cute enough in its own way that I let it slide.

"...Thank you, and how did you do that? Do you wrestle or something?"

"You're very welcome. And yes, I used too. But now, football’s more my style. Always wanted to rough house with a bunch of brothers but..." he shrugged. "Close enough, right?"

I smiled, but was trying  _ so hard _ not to be charmed by this guy. "Oh yeah, just as close as my face was to your jacket." I kid, though he seemed to smile and almost blush, catching on fast.

"You don't miss a beat, do you?" There was a sparkle in his eyes, as though somehow I had brought a light to him just now.

"I'm good with minor details, I pay extra special attention to men grabbing me randomly. Oh, you better believe it." I faked a frown.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to-" he seemed to grow a bit worried, reaching out and shaking his hands to apologize.

"I know, you’re fine. But heed my warning, mister." I folded my arms. "I don't take kindly to strangers." I used a western accent, that seemed to spark a playful side in him. He must have loved the idea of playing along, because he drew a quick finger gun and winked at me.

"Why, I reckon I will." He pretended to flick his imaginary hat, pushing it down and nodding to me in a formal bow.

I smiled bigger, “Hmph.” His antics were a bit wild, but they were fun nonetheless.

"Good day." He waved me off as he started heading off, his back facing me and a hand withdrawing to his pocket. I folded my arms around my papers, rocking a bit back and forth while looking him up and down.

Wait… what am I doing?

I quickly snapped out of it. I do not  _ flirt  _ with strange men. I walked to my locker, re-opening it as it let out a creaky shriek, then brushed the dirt off from the papers and put them away.

"Oh, oh! I forgot something!" he dashed back, right to the locker next to me again, spooking me a bit.

"What's up, jock?" I teased, kinda like a certain grey bunny and his iconic carrot, but he simply gave me a funny look. Opening the… The… 

_ Oh no. _

"Just needed my textbook." He winked, wiggling the book out in the air and with his smug little grin. He then took off again, laughing to himself quietly and doing a little victory dance as he moved on.

My mouth was agape, probably all the way to the ground. His locker…

That beautifully smelling, epic fighting and insanely cute, funny, boy's locker…

**_Was right next to mine._ **

Lamp posts flickered in shaded blue skies when I walked home after getting my spare cold attire from my locker. I wondered how he assumed shady men were associated with me, or rather, if I gave off the impression that they were. These thoughts kept my focus occupied to the ground before I saw Brutus with some other kids from the KA7 near my next turn. I stopped in my tracks, my large leather jacket and hat keeping me out of the cold's touch here on the streets, but I sure as heck felt a shiver up my spine at seeing those boys.

"Hey… fellas." I almost didn't want to acknowledge their presence.

I was only a few minutes away from my hippie den too…

"I'm so sorry, Lily." Brutus spoke up, walking up to me with his mini gang behind him. Something was off with him today, it wasn’t the usual banter this time. How’d he know my home route..? "But you didn't keep the business under wraps. Your last delivery made a lot of bad people start looking for us.”

He took a deep breath, and that’s when I noticed the boys were holding something. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew leaking any traces to the business was bad. I didn’t think I had left that many clues…

Then it hit me.

_ We were in the paper… _

“ _ The Boss didn't like that _ ."

"W-what are you talking about?" I took my hands out of my jacket and slowly stepped back. "What are you doing!?"

"Lily, you broke the confidentiality rule. Leave no trace. I'm sorry." The boys were pulling out crowbars, some rope, and other things. I just couldn't tell, my eyes were getting blurry from the threat of tears as I imagined myself as the next horror story. I held them back though, getting ready to run as I stepped further and further away.

"You don't want to do this, Brutus. I didn't mean too! I-"

"Get her, Brutus!" one of the kids called out.

"I'm sorry!" he said, in the scariest voice I ever heard a man have, as he reached out to grab me.

"Noo!" I ran, but they pursued.

I did a half circle, trying to get past them and escape home. Maybe Guinevere would pity me and actually call the cops like she'd always threaten to do. I could endure some pain if I knew it wouldn't last long or kill me. The cold stung my lungs as I jumped over a fallen trash can, not daring to look behind me. The wind rushed so fast by my ears that I couldn't make out what the boys were shouting out. I just didn't stop, I just didn't care.

"Help!" It took all my strength to swallow my pride and cry out for help. Maybe some hero would hear me, it was a big maybe. But when I didn’t need a hero, I got one. Does that mean when it matters most, they won’t come?

Somehow, out in the distance, I saw a ray of light. It bounced like a miniature sun, coming down the dark and wet pavement of the road. It stretched itself out like a bobbing ribbon that then served and slowed my pace down. Looking at it, I thought it could just be oddly drifting car lights, but it was too colorful. Too..  _ rainbowish _ .

The boys must have stopped too, or maybe I really had run fast, but the light kept coming closer. It suddenly floated in the air, as I noticed a silhouette of a bunny-like creature take shape.

"…No."

"Hey! There she is!" One voice called out as I heard footsteps coming.

The shadowy figure looked to the side, seeing the danger. The little alien rabbit then floated up near my eyes, probably seeing the terror in them. All at once, the figure reformed into a ball of pure light with a quick summersault in the air. It was translucent, but amazingly colorful and bright. It flew and shrank as it darted into my widened eyes. I would have screamed if it weren’t for the shock of turning to a mirrored window of a closed department store. In an instant, I saw that my irises had turned white, and towards the bottom I could see a small rainbow tail curved and waving as if apart of the northern lights. My blonde hair was faintly glowing and being flicked by the chilly wind.

I suddenly could feel light, and if I squinted I could see every different kind of light. Every shimmer that moved by me felt like something tangible that I could bend and pull at will. The street light, the moonlight, the waves emanating off my body,  _ everything _ . Lights above me from the telephone wires zig-zagged in closed lines and the stars had never been more clearer. What happened to my vision? The lights all faded the second I blinked and was distracted by my name being called out again. I turned to see the boys staring at me.

"W-why isn't she running?" a boy asked.

"Maybe she accepted her fate." Another, bigger boy said, slamming his crowbar into Brutus's arms.

"What was that light? A police car?" Brutus held the crowbar lightly in his hands, as though his mind didn’t even register that it was there. He was transfixed on me. Did he see what happened..?

_ I could feel it…  _

I could squint and see their heat signatures in the twilight… The sky overhead never looked so beautiful. 

_ How was this possible? _

"Can you hear me, girl!? What was that light!?" I heard something click as he took out another object from underneath his jacket. "You better talk, freak girl! You better talk!"

"Clyde, stop it!" Brutus started walking up to him but the other boys were pulling him back. "The boss said give her a bruise, not a death wish!"

"Start talking!" he put the object up and pointed it at me. "Talk, dang it!!" he looked scared, confused, but most importantly… 

_ Irrational. _

His heat increased, causing the wavelengths upon his body to move rapidly, but I ignored this. I was too enchanted over my hands and how their color seemed to be brighter and more vivid. There were now colors I couldn’t identify, colors I had never seen before… different shades, but it was all too incredibly jarring to focus on right now. The world around me had transformed and I was visibly scared, taken aback and overwhelmed,  "I…"

I heard a loud sound.

Brutus cried out in defiance.

And then… I felt my hand move up, I felt the tension of particles start pushing together around me. A large and deep blue mass grabbed the speeding bullet, stretching out as the bullet made its way to me. It began to slow down, coming directly in front of me like a finger through a flexible balloon. As it was being pulled back by the shielding, light substance of matter, it angled itself down and rapidly shot out the momentum of the bullet to the ground. I let the light go, lifting my hand down as it faded back into colors of which it came from. For a moment, I noticed the sky turn back into its former blues. Had I unknowingly ripped the color of the sky apart?

When the color disappeared, the boys all gawked in wonder.

"What kind of crazy flippin' freak are you!?" the boy shot again, but this time, Brutus took the crow bar and knocked him out.

I felt something react, and the grey of the sidewalk shot up, being stripped from its place and blocked the bullet with a solid  _ thud _ . This time, the matter was different. Unlike a stretchy fabric that couldn’t be torn, this was a wall that nothing could break through.

"Lily, run!" Brutus called out.

I examined my hand, then saw another bullet coming. I lifted it slowly in a wave, releasing the grey color back to the cement of the walkway and took a dark green color from the planter boxes on the bottom edges of tall building windows. I caught the bullet by wrapping the dark green around it as the plants I drew the light from turned lighter shades, as though I had taken some of their color away. If I took all the color, would it fade from vision entirely?

This time, I morphed the gloved light holding the caught bullet and let it drop. The rings of the bullet’s body landing on the gravel traveled like a silver bell, as it rolled down the tiers hills left. The boys fidgeted back. Everything was moving so fast, I could see the trails of the bullets this time. I moved slowly upright again, trying to breathe and take it all in. I didn’t feel like myself. I wasn’t doing this on my own. What was going on..? What had happened to my body..?

"Lily! I said run!"

I could hear Brutus's warning, my head shot up and I quickly ran. As I did, I felt something move my hands against my will, swirling up something from my feet.

Directly below me, I saw a rainbow starting to form as colors blended and separated into rays of light. Now I screamed in fright.

Something was moving my hands!

_ Was it the alien!? _

My feet began to step on a substance that would dip just slightly under my pressure. I wasn’t running anymore, halting my movements and trying to balance myself as the colors rose underneath me, lifting me off the ground. I took a surfer’s pose, feeling I was gliding on a wave, and taking off on a flying carpet ride. I felt my body move itself again, holding my hands out like the Warrior pose.

The particles sparkled like sugar, hovering and dancing over the lights. What was this thing made of? Why I could stand upon light? Or was my body’s light merging with it and keeping me aloft? I had so many questions, but I had nothing but my own deductions to go off of.

Relaxing a bit, I decided to let whatever it was controlling this strange power take over. I swiftly made my way home, safely avoiding brutality but now finding myself wondering how people couldn’t see me. I wondered… if I removed all my color..?

The second the idea came to mind, I felt colors begin to leave me. I freaked out that I could see-through myself, but at least now I was invisible. The flattened rainbow weaving through the sky was still probably a sight to see, but at least no one would be able to notice a girl standing at its head.

Flinging the drape away, I clutched my chest and then grabbed my arms, trying to comfort myself as I dropped down. Crawling up to the wall, I slowly leaned against it. I think I went into shock, grasping for some understanding. I opened my mouth, but only made whimpering noises. Was this what a heart attack felt like? I didn't understand what had just happened… but it saved my life.

The creature jumped out of my eye, morphing from a ball of light back into its figure, backflipping as its tail unwound from around itself. "Fleliep Corcore?" it seemed to look at me with concern and a bit of surprise itself.

It floated up and placed it's forehead against mine, its little paws tapped the side of my trembling face and rested there. Within its pupils, I saw light stream across like a meteor shower, making me flinch though I couldn’t move my head. It’s strong but tiny hands kept my head in place.

My legs pushed against the ground and kicked out, scooting me further against the wall. I wanted to flee, my adrenaline rushing into flight when I saw a movie suddenly flicker on in its eyes…

_ A planet. _

With more little things like it, it seemed.

All looking a bit different then the creature I had before me, who was by far most different of all.

So plain… the world had no real light or colors.

The alien moved away, turning back into a ball of light again and my vision was covered in white. It must have gone into my eyes again, because now i could see in my mind’s eye the world in greater detail that it had shown me moments before.

But I also heard a voice. Small and pitched, light and sweet. Something straight out of a child’s cartoon.

_ My powers were useless… _

I saw the grey animals fighting one another in a brutish manner, but the rainbow-tailed rabbit was shoved and taken away from among them. They bit and shook as they dragged it.

_ They made me go away. _

They shoved with barks, growls, and snarls the little rabbit into a space pod of some kind.

_ They said I couldn't stay. _

The rainbow-tailed rabbit was flung through the universe, landing in the yard where I was walking by. I could see myself, I could see it looking out of the pod, terrified and afraid.

_ I was meaningless without any power. _

Still in my mind’s eye, the little alien hopped out from the tarp of my hippie den, looking around the corner and seeing me running.

_ Today, you looked scared of your fellow beings. _

The little rabbit showed me how it turned into light, something it did back on its homeworld and thought about distracting the enemies. However, I felt how powerfully it was drawn to me, and ended up taking over my body.

_ I rushed to use my abilities that never seemed to help much. _

I saw it through my eyes now, but I could feel how it felt and defended me against the gun’s bullets.

_ But here, in this world, my abilities can be used so wonderfully! _

It was the thing controlling my hands, manipulating light and lifting me into the sky on a rainbow.

_ You fed and protected me. _

It seemed to rush it's thoughts towards eating my food and sleeping on my green bean bag.

_ I shall do the same for you. In my world, it was only war. The strongest survived. Here, I can be strong… with you. _

As the creature pulled away in a ball of light from my eyes and shifted back into its normal form, I gasped even more. The voice in my head  _ just had  _ to be its voice. It told me it used its powers, that they didn't work on its world so she had to flee? Powers? What?

_ She? _

Through the connection we just had, I knew what it was. It was a girl. Its rainbow tail was a manifestation of its power. How did I know this? The voice didn’t specifically tell me, I just knew now. It was a girl, and it had powers that only this world could utilize through me...

It looked worriedly at me, its furry eyebrows arching back as though I wasn’t going to accept it either. I didn't want it to feel like I was rejecting it… but I was scared of it _. _

It took everything in me to reach my hands out, faking a smile through my gasping that led to full out crying.

_ I haven't cried in years. _

I willingly ran away from home, but she was exiled against her will.

She must have thought I was all she had left to hope for. A home again...

She seemed to smile, seeing I wasn't upset with her and flying into my embrace.

_ Oh man. _

What was I thinking? What’ll happen now?

What _was_ going to happen now!?

All I knew was that it was happening… and I couldn't stop it now.

She buried her face into the crook of my neck, saying something like, “Abu… abu… abu…”

Somehow, I knew it was a good word.   
  



	3. The Mysterious Boy

**Colors**

 

The Mysterious Boy

 

Ch.3

  
By: Cutegirlmayra (DANG, last chapter was 14 PAGES, I'm so sorry. Lol, that's a long read. But it's worth it, hopefully ^^; that's up to you. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter! :D She finally has POWERS now! Edited: 14 means nothing now, haha!)

 

The next morning, I hurried to get a project done for one of my classes, a self-reflection. The project consisted of making a poster of you but with no words. My teacher was all about expressing oneself… Great.  
  
The little alien creature flew around, taking a moment to hover over my shoulder and look at the trainwreck I tried to pass off as art.  
  
"It's a work in progress…" I commented, not even looking at it, but gesturing my head in its direction.  
  
"What's your name anyway? You never told me." I finally stated, but when I looked over my shoulder, it was gone. "Huh? Thing One?" I joked, shifting around to find it. I don't usually make childish jokes, it reminds me too much how I was with my little brother back home, but I decided to go for it. I thought it would cheer me up…  
  
Me and my brother… let's see, last time I saw him he was nine years old.

  
I used to read him stories at night when he was younger, cuddling up on the bed while mom and dad would fight downstairs. There was always a threat of divorce if the money didn't flow in but to be honest, I think the two of them just needed to show more love for each other… but that never did happen though. At least, as far as I'm aware of.  
  
I used to rock my brother in his rocking chair, which was one of the reasons I wanted to get one in my hippie den. I sang to tune out my parents' shouts and cries. My mother would wail in hysterical tears as my father would shout, his face growing red with anger. They never hit each other though… that was good. As my brother got older, he ignored the fighting more and more, becoming indifferent to it. I couldn't do that though. I couldn't _condition_ myself to ignore such things. The yelling, hate, unsatisfaction and being blamed for something you couldn't control made me feel bad for my parents. Any time I tried to speak my opinion, see if I could help somewhat, they would shut up and refuse to speak to a _child_ about their _adult_ matters.

  
  
            _That's when I knew…_

 

After Mom had left to her friend's house, I waited all night for her to return while Dad went straight to bed. When she finally did come home, I held her when she cried. I knew…  
  
            _I had to get out of here.  
  
            Grow up, and fast.  
  
            Before this world became my parents' world, my destiny._  
  
I snapped back into reality, seeing the alien had spilled glitter all over my canvas.  
  
"Nooo!" I shouted, reaching a hand out before finding it pointless, "Augh!” I leaned my head back, “You're so annoying! That's never coming out! I'm gonna look like some preppy blonde chick!" I complained, being beyond done with life when she tilted her head, rolling in the glitter with a smile. She was wiggling her back into it now, making sure to get glitter in every nook and cranny.  
  
"…Well, you sure are _sparkly_ now." I sarcastically commented.  
  
Then a light bulb must have shattered over my head or something, cause…  
  
"Hey, Sparkles…" I let it run off my tongue a moment, realizing how stupid the name was.  
  
"Well, I sure as heck ain't callin' ya, Glitter." I thought it was funny, chuckling a second as I picked up my backpack and dusted off some glitter outside my hippie den.  
  
I was about to head to school, it had been a few days and I was glad that Brutus and the other Delivery kids didn’t know exactly where I lived. Sparkles tried to jump into my bag, as if wanting to come with me. "Ah, ah-ah! No! Bad." I figured it was time to teach her right from wrong, like a puppy. I learned somewhere on TV that puppies need to be trained early on, or they'll grow up to be little monsters with no discipline. I turned around, holding my pointer finger out as she focused her eyes on it. It was kinda funny, like a doctor telling you to follow their finger, and a child crossing their eyes to see it. Sparkles did the same as I fell for her ridiculous charm. "Haha, alright. Listen, as long as you stay hidden."  
  
I knew this was a bad idea. "Stay. Hidden."

I let it fly into my backpack, it’s head popping out after having situated itself. The top of my bag's flap droop over half its face, only showing it's adorable open smile and left eye. "Aw… Don't act like you're cute." I teased, "The world's already got enough cute animals that sucker humans into doing their bidding…"  
  
"Bei… Bedin… Beadin…" Sparkles made some funny faces, trying to repeat what I said and morphing the muscles on her face to mimic the word the best she could. I looked back, thinking it might not be so bad to take her to school… maybe she’d learn more English.  
  
On my way to school, I passed a corner when some Richie came out from the top tier’s pearly gates. I scowled, lifting up a part of my mouth when the boy rode by on his bicycle.

 

_Oh?_

 

_No fancy limo?_

 

How does he keep face up in uptown?  
  
As I kid, I took another glance at the boy. That jacket…

Then my face turned white, The Boy was _that_ boy?!  
  
It couldn't be…

 

_Could it?_

  
  
The jacketed boy that had saved—I mean, _assisted_ me with those kids, rode right by. His hair dipped just below his ears, flying in the misty wind from a recent cold downpour. He wore a purple beanie, so was his hair still spiked up today? Either way, it looked—  
  
"Fiiiiinnneeee!" a elongated, child-like voice came from behind me.

 

 _—_ _Different._

 

 _Oh gosh._  
  
I looked back at my bag, then the boy. My world seemed to unravel with each beat of my heart as I saw his leg come down from the bike to stop himself, the skidding of his soles grinding against the pavement. I flinched, white as my cheeks flushed an embarrassed pink, blood rushing at an alarming rate. He may have stopped, but my escape had just begun.

  
"Zrum, zrum." Sparkles must have been trying to imitate the sounds around her, possibly the wind rushing by as he passed us rather quickly. There were a few cars zipping by, but nothing to obscure the incredibly loud misunderstanding that had happened seconds ago. How would anyone be able to explain this?! “Shrreeeeee…” Now she must have tried to mimick his breaking.  
  
"Uh, Umm… Augh!" I ran, heading straight for an alley. He pulled his bike over and looked back at me as I gripped the edge of the building and whipped myself towards the most available escape route.

  
            _Dead End.  
  
            Of course, right?  
_  
"Uh… excuse me?” He turned at the edge of the building, but didn’t fully walk in. “But I'm pretty sure that's not the way to school." He had his bike trailing beside him, cockily showing off that mischievous smile. He chuckled a moment, dipping his head down as if he couldn’t believe it. Honestly, neither did I.

He peered back up and must have noticed I looked like a deer in headlights. So, like any annoying kid, he hollered down the echoing passageway, "It's not everyday a guy gets cat-called for riding a bike," he stated. I swear, I must have looked like a pretty grumpy tomato, puffing my now red cheeks out and pouting at the acidic taste in my mouth.  
  
"Go away! I didn't say anything!" I spat out, trying to look for a way around him. He was clever… having blocked my only way out.  
  
"Didn't say anything?" he sarcastically lifted an eyebrow up, boldly doubting my innocence.  
  
I looked down the damp and puddled stretch that led towards him. How was I supposed to tell this guy an alien was trying to mimic the wind as he passed by _without_ looking like I’m trying to cover my own behind? Plus, he was a rich kid… such a shame. He would blabber about it all over school and take pride in the screw-up. I know he would…  
  
"Then what do you call that, 'Dang son! You fiiiine!' line back there? I'm taking that as something along the lines of a 'compliment' at best. Though not entirely appropriate, I'll take what I can get." He was so smug, I _hated_ it… But kinda blushed at it too.  
  
At least he could take a joke…  
  
"What's your name? Never got it," he stated.

Was he trying to change the subject for my sake? I was pretty shaken up, I won’t lie.  
  
"Ditto." I was clinging to my jacket, freezing in this dead end alley. I was trapped and had to make sure this guy didn't see my pet alien. But then again...  
  
            _Which one was the pet, though?_  
  
"Oh, my apologies." He took one of his hands off the handlebars and placed it on his chest, as if he was offended. "How rude of me. Yes, quite, hold on miss." He placed his bike down on the ground, not even bothering to use the kickstand. "Um, ehem." He cleared his throat, "Salutations!" he bowed, sounding like a foreign aristocrat. I couldn't help form an unwillingly shaky smile, trying to hold in my laughter. Why did he have to be so spontaneously _engaging_ and _witty_ with himself?  
  
"Sir Aldin is at your service, milady!" he got up from his bow, having taken off his beanie to reveal his messy hair underneath. So that’s where the spikes went. He winked, "It's an Umebella name, meaning _Old Friend_. I like to think that's why people warm up to me so quickly. I seem like someone they would have known and trusted."

Umebella? So he wasn’t from around here.

He fiddled with the beanie in his hand, picking at it as he swung a leg over to me. "So…" he said, probably as awkwardly as he could, facing me from his side. "You, uh… need a ride?" He gestured with his head to his fallen bike.  
  
"You mean… your loyal steed?" I teased, he really was someone who you couldn't help but warm up to. I just felt safe around him.

Why was that? A guy jumps in on my problems one time and suddenly I’m smitten?

I refused to believe as much.  
  
While locked in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed we’d been smiling together. How was it I was so mad a moment ago, and suddenly enjoying myself a second later? He put his hands on his hips, and I knew the show had only just begun. "Loyal, yes. I wouldn't say he makes for a good steed though…" we laughed a little bit more. “So… Will you?” He gestured to it again.

With every good sense in my body, I knew I shouldn’t indulge him.

But something else inside me wanted to be wild and take a chance.

I decided to hop on.  
  
"But admit it, you so hollered at me." He straddled the bike and flicked the fallen hair out of his eyes, putting his beanie on.  
  
"I did not!" I tried to balance myself as he got a running start.  
  
"You did too! It carried on the wind!" He practically shouted to the rooftops. His loud mouth could really project his voice anywhere and everywhere it wanted to.

  
"I-Ohh! Forget it!" I huffed and turned my head to the side, letting the wind carry my hair like a banner of my shame.  
  
"Hahaha! I'm not offended, really."

 

I couldn't help but stare… I'm not one to fall in love, but he was making it really...  
  
_Really difficult to not._  
  
He dropped me off after arriving at school, politely taking my hand as if I needed the help to get off of the bike.  
  
I gave him a suspicious eye, shifting my gaze left and right in confusion as to why he would feel the need to grab it. "Oh… ‘kay." I hopped off, seeing him twist back to the front, readying to go lock up the bike somewhere.

  
"Wouldn't want you falling to your doom." He teased, holding my eyes locked to his for a moment. I finally had time to see them, to be honest. Since by now, I wasn’t feeling so shy and fidgety around him. The green color was like the very depths of a pure emerald oasis and—for a moment—I was absorbed in the black island that rested within them. I felt completely and utterly defenseless and at peace, not a worry in the world.  
  
"Umm… you okay?"

 

_That’s annoying._

  
  
I shook my head, not liking my behavior at all. "Y-yeah. Thanks. Listen, sorry about earlier. You heard wrong." I started to walk off as he looked toward an opening in traffic.  
  
"Riiight!" he chimed, racing off to find a bike rack.  
  
I turned around and glared, he shouldn't think of me as a liar! Or at least… I didn't want him to think of me like that.  
  
I was surprised how well Sparkles was at school, she laid low, unlike some cartoons I've seen of creatures who just can't stay still. She ended up sleeping a lot, making me flip out only once when a little bit of glowing light from her tail shone slightly. I was able to pass it off as a reflection from something shiny in my bag to the kid next to me. A water bottle made sense, and the student looked away, turning back to their bored selves. "Phew…" I sighed out, quietly.  
  
When we got to gym class, now that's when it all went wrong…  
  
"I pick… Jasmine."  
  
A girl with pretty, dark skin 'Yes'd and rushed to her friends.  
  
I wasn't last. I was sadly the _team captain_.  
  
"Alright, Lily. It's your turn." The gym teacher stated. He wasn’t your typical teacher, very much the type of man you'd see behind an office desk. For some reason, he loved sports more than his skinny body could handle. And if he couldn't play sports, he was gonna try and teach it instead. I constantly questioned that logic, because if he even tried to hit a football into the goalpost, he’d sprain an ankle for sure. He wore thick black glasses that squared off his face, making it appear as though he’d be crunching tax numbers instead of sport statistics. And that’s the guy you hire to teach kids to be athletic? To each his own, I suppose. "Come on, Lily." He ushered me, gesturing me to pick another girl for my dodgeball team.  
  
I jolted. It was at that moment that I had started worrying about Sparkles, who was stuck in my gym locker for an hour with nothing but a half-drank water bottle and a ham sandwich.

 

_Which I wanted…_

  
  
"Oh, right… Uh... Annabelle." I just kinda picked whoever, not really caring.  
  
She looked up from having her hands shyly down in front of her, her almond-shaped eyes lit up as she scurried to stand behind me. I felt good about my choice, seeing how happy she was until a girl leaned over and replied, "Why'd you pick hefty?" I immediately gave that girl the scariest glare I ever bestowed upon the human race. Her immediate reaction was to slowly lean her body back, withdrawing her arms back to her sides. Distance was a sign of fear, so I was pleased she got the message.  
  
We moved on over to the courts, and I frowned deeply at the fact that we were facing boys.  
  
            _Boys. Really?_  
  
I just hoped I could get a few of the stragglers out. You know, the ones that clearly would rather be playing their video games and saving that world instead of being here.  
  
I always wanted a video game… might kill some time and relieve some stress.  
  
I wasn't against games, just wished people didn't play them against others. You know, the type of games that mess with your mind and manipulate your emotions…  
  
The whistle blew and I dashed, straining to grab a ball the opponent threw towards Annabelle. I leaped and…  
  
“Out!”

 

 _Drat._  
  
There's a saying, it goes: Don't be the hero. I should really commit that to heart.  
  
I walked to the sidelines and sat down, getting a drink from the water dispenser with a white plastic cup. The school could afford such pleasantries…  
  
As I sipped, I noticed Annabelle’s eyes on me, and smiled with a wave.  
  
            _Heh, might as well be friendly.  
_  
After all this time, I never tried to _fit in_ or have _friends_. Annabelle seemed nice though…  
  
Then I saw some kids on the opposite team huddled together in the corner of the court. I saw them snickering, typing something around one of the balls.

  
I got up, leaning forward and trying to peer over their shoulders, looking to see what they were doing.  
  
"Um… coach..?"  
  
"Hmm?" He just made a sound, but I wasn’t sure if it was meant to acknowledge me.  
  
I tugged on the coach's shirt, but it was too late. The kids ran up to the line, excitedly throwing the tampered ball.  
_  
Annabelle screamed._  
  
The whistle blew again and I was frozen in my seat for a second. The teacher and girls swarmed her and I slowly began to rise from my seat.  
  
I saw them get her up. There was blood on her forehead. She was crying…

My brain tacked each task and image as though a slow storyboard in my head. There was only one thing left to conclude.  
  
I looked down to the ball.  
  
At that moment, the whole area was in slow motion, voices muffling calls to others. I looked up at the boys who threw the ball…  
  
They were holding the back end of their hand up to their mouths, 'OOOoooohhh'ing and high-fiving each other.

  
Their voices were the only ones my ears could crisply pick up on. Their cheers and laughter burned a fire within me.

 

 _Culprits._  
  
            _They would pay for this…_  
  
At that instant I felt Sparkles hop up to my leg, touching my lower calf, clinging to me. I looked down, seeing her eyes. She seemed to understand that I was feeling something and needed her.  
  
I would have done the responsible thing and picked her up, hiding her under my gym clothes and rushing back to the locker room, hoping no one saw her. Instead, I squinted as a new idea popped into my head. My eyebrows furrowed in sadness, concern, and finally…  
  
            _Revenge._  
  
I hurriedly scooped her up and tugged my gym shirt down over her small body, racing to the bathroom. Thankfully, no one was there doing their business, so I ran in and picked a stall. In my rush and panic, I took her out and let her fly in front of me. Her bunny ears, normally drooped to the sides of her face, were now perked slightly up as if she could tell what I wanted.

  
"Eye. Now." I instructed. She should be able to understand simple words by now.  
  
She saw me point to my eye but shook her head after sensing my hostility.

  
I glared, " _Now!_ “ almost like a master commanding his dog to sit.  
  
"…Muff suno no." She spoke, but I didn't get it.  
  
"Sparkles, I mean it. Give me that power. The power to bend and command light!"  
  
Sparkles swung back slowly, still uncertain as whether to go or not. With each swish of her rainbow tail, I felt an eternity pass with no justice for Annabelle's tears.  
  
If I had to be persuasive… then I was going to be.  
  
I reached down and firmly held her close to my face, making her shake in fright.  
  
"Understand me! Understand that I can't let that poor girl be a … a laughing stock!"  
  
Sparkles, out of fear, dashed into my eyes without resisting me further.

  
That warm power… I felt it all over again. Her light spiraled into my eye, turning my iris snow white again. Color rippled in an arch from the bottom of my iris as I looked into the bathroom’s mirror, touching my finger to my cheek, looking at it further.  
  
I didn’t want to waste my time admiring the shift, so I stomped out, letting the door swing wide. I slowly opened my eyes to reveal the clear white with the rainbow touch at the end. I would have to be careful to make sure no one would notice. But I wasn’t all that concerned with being careful.  
  
The game had just begun again. Everyone lined up away from the balls placed on the barrier between the teams.  
_  
Perfect._

 _  
_ I was still considered out, but that didn't stop me from walking over to a girl, and grabbing her dodgeball.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
I continued to strut forward, nothing was stopping me. I saw the boys, about four or five of them. Holding the ball in both my hands, I stood with my feet apart, feeling the ball’s red and foamy texture under my enraged finger tips.  
  
I breathed steadily. I wasn't going to just be satisfied with knocking them down…  
  
I wasn't a goody two-shoes, but I wasn't a devil either.  
  
I felt my sense of justice should be based upon my own moral code, no one else's. I didn't care what the world would say, because this was _my judgment_. I would annihilate these clowns in a heartbeat if I felt they deserved it, but they’re crime was just a rigged headshot. What did they deserve..?  
  
I made up my mind.  
  
Sucking out the red color from the ball, turning it invisible, I shot a blazing comet halfway down the court. Using the red aurora around it to aim and control its movements, I tightened my hand into a fist, making spikes protrude from its circular form. It was hard to see, moving so quickly that it almost looked like a flare across the eyes. I started to walk, moving my hand to hit the first guy about five times, plummeting him down as the ball moved with swift precision. I morphed the red power into a solid object with a high density, and shot that into the other boy at shocking speeds. Kids started to notice something red streaking across the court as I targeted the next boy.  
  
The first kid on the ground had bled a little, like he had just finished a fight. Gripping his head, he leaned up with a black eye. I stopped slamming my arm down to control the power, feeling my hand flinch and something wanting to hold me back.  
  
            _Two or so more, Sparkles…_  
  
I had moved on now, hiding behind some of the bleachers, making sure no one noticed me or my eyes. My arm wasn’t noticed, everyone was simply watching the bright glowing red light knock the other team down. Through the folded seats, I saw the next few boys, walking backwards and away from the red comet that floated in waiting. The destructive ball soon slammed into the next boy once I was in the clear, no one had noticed me slip away. It charged right into the boy’s gut, flying him upward and into the gym’s back wall. I then moved my hand, skidding him across the tall walls until his head hit the ceiling. I continued to slam him into the ceiling until he was knocked out.  
  
Kids started screaming, someone was calling security, but not the normal security…

 

The Super security… The ones who wore mask and sometimes costumes, dashing into or through the school at superhuman speeds to take a discovered Super off to be registered.  
  
I wasn't afraid though, in fact, I wasn't paying attention.

 

I wasn’t really thinking either, to be frank… The only thing on my mind was making them suffer for intentionally hurting an innocent girl.  
  
I didn't want to kill anyone. His offense wasn't that great to me. I was mostly thinking an eye for an eye... I let him fall a bit before using the golden yellow of the gym's wooden floorboards to grab him in a blanket that engulfed the boy like the bullet before. It stopped his freefall and let him descend gradually back to the ground.  
  
            Now… where were the others?  
  
I was just about done beating the boys to a pulp. I smiled as they cried and tried to run, seeing that they were learning their lesson, until I looked over at Annabelle's face. She was on the sidelines, her eyes weren't crying anymore. Instead, they were full of wide-eyed horror, standing locked in shock.  
  
It was only then that my eyes were opened and shown the real terror of the situation. I turned back to the boys, who were crying out in pain.

 

_Who was I to give judgment to these boys?_

 

 _Wasn't that God's whole deal?  
_  
My hands began to tremble as I pulled them away and turned them towards me, gazing at them. Breathing deeply, I noticed my hands were now glowing with subtle colors… And one of the boys was suspended in the air, choking…  
  
I dropped him, startledly blinking with a twitch when he slammed to the ground. When had I started doing that? That couldn’t have been Sparkles… She seemed silent and distant now. I stopped the powers, shaking my hands out in a quick jolt. The dodgeball that was in one of my hands fell to the ground with its normal color restored, coming back to view. The other boy was being pushed down by the gravity of the heat of the lights, when did that happen? Heated light? His skin seemed to be sunburned, as though sunbathing on Venus. I stopped it, but another boy cried out that he couldn’t see, trying to rip at something covering him. When I turned to see him, his whole body was white. His eyes, his nails, even as he screamed his mouth was completely overcome in the color white. I swiped the air, finding that many lights had covered him and left him unable to see, changing his looks. After it was removed, he turned to normal, but fell to his knees and gasped for air. His skin looked burnt too.

 

_What… had I done?_

 

I didn’t even notice the other things I was doing. How was that possible? Was I multitasking without even thinking about..?

 

That must have been it. I let the powers do whatever in my rage. Sparkles… was she influenced by my emotions too? Or how I was controlling her abilities?

  
A superhero crashed through the gym windows. As soon as the class shattered, I began to cry. I looked towards the window in fear. It was Lady Saint Grace. She wore the armor of the heavens, wielding the sword of a legendary saint and the shield of God's righteousness bestowed upon her by an archangel. The armor was pure white, almost shining to the point of blinding its viewer. Her hair was bright and shining like the rays of light through clouds, her eyes heavenly. She wore heavenly markings of gold, and her cape was a beautiful shade of blue. Modest armor, fully covering every inch of her. Her knight's helmet was proclaimed to be from the realm of mythical and God-fearing kings, crisp steel that contrasted her otherwise shining look. It hid the rest of her face completely, the back was open for her tied up hair, resembling the red plume upon the helm of the knights of old. An etched, steel masquerade mask hid her heavenly face and finished her stunning hero’s attire.

  
At least, that's what her lore said. They say she was gifted with the power of the heavens when she commatized from a car accident, waking up in the hospital to a heavenly angel that granted her a second chance to do God’s will on earth. Her desire to live and spend the rest of her days doing good brought her back to life, changing her into heaven’s loyal Lady Saint Grace.  
  
"Good sir, what is the cause of this dismay?" She spoke so strong too, beautifully rising from the crashed shards of glass that shone her rays back up to her armor, causing mosaic light to reflect off of her. I froze in my spot, gaping.  
  
"W-we don't know. We were h-hoping you'd find t-t-the s-source." My coach looked scared, stuttering as he knelt by one of the hurt boys.

  
"Get out..." I whispered. “Get out of me!" louder this time, but screamed it more so inside my mind, I shut my eyes and grabbed my head.  
  
_I can't leave if you shut my way out!_  
  
Sparkles voice finally returned as I opened my eyes, the light flying out as Sparkles turned back into her normal, brown rabbit form. I grabbed her quickly, not wanting anyone to see the sudden burst of light, and ran out of sight.  
  
Back outside, I decided to skip the rest of my classes. Somehow, I would make up the rest of my homework…

  
Getting my shoe laces tied, I looked around with worry, regretting every moment. I looked to Sparkles, staring at me with her paws together, looking from one eye to the other… She must have felt the panic inside me.  
  
"I… I neerv feealt way of feelwing beuor."  
  
"What?" my eyes widened, she was actually making some sense. "Did you just say that you have never felt that way before?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
She must have gained more language from listening to my thoughts and emotions. Kinda creepy, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.  
  
"Gwirrl… ou know gwirrl?"  
  
"Do I know the girl?"  
  
She nodded again.  
  
"No."  
  
"Twen, yih helep er?" She tilted her head, letting the gears in her little mind spin as she desperately attempted to understand a human behavior.  
  
"Then, why help her?"  
  
She nodded again.  
  
After a moment of silence, I scooped her up, swinging my backpack onto my other shoulder. "I don't know." I honestly answered. "I just did what felt right." I was dressed now and started speed walking to the door, not even remembering to hide Sparkles. I didn't care. I just needed to get out of here.  
  
She bounced in my arms a bit, before staring back up at me like a puppy on it’s back. "Dwu… dwu ou air now?"  
  
"Yes… I care now…" I offered her my eyes again, "Get in. I need to get home, and fast."  
  
She slowly turned into a ball of light again.  
  
The rainbow flew me towards home, moving like a fish tail rippling through the sky as I tried to stay as high in as possible, letting the clouds cool me off.

 

It helped me to relax and breathe a moment as I used them as cover.

  
            _Forget going home…_  
  
I needed to learn how to use this power… and why.  
  
I saw a mountain with lush forests, ivory tips, and large cliffs that were perfect for parking a rainbow on. I landed on a mossy peak, the wind howling a warning that I wasn’t allowed here, but I ignored it and started to bend more than visible light. The boy… who had been completely encompassed with several different light signatures, why did it burn him? I could physically feel the sensation of the different light, but couldn’t identify its origin. It wasn’t like the normal colors I could pull off other objects. Lights, from many different colors, merged together to make a white shell over the boy, but there was something else in that mix. What was it? When the white left him, he was burned. Ultra violet rays? Did I actually use harmful rays to hurt that boy? I wasn’t thinking about it. I didn’t mean too… So does that mean that light bends to my emotions?

 

No, no… there was more to this. Sparkles could literally feel my emotions. Does that mean… she called forth those strong rays? It didn’t add up. But maybe I could create light..?  
  
I stretched my hand out to grab some rippling light in the air, looking like a heatwave. Pulling it towards my ear, I could hear the muffled sounds of the radio, “ _Attack from an unidentified Super this morning happened in a local school gym class-_ ” Startled, I let go of the wavelength; is that even a type of light!?  
  
Great, I thought I was the good guy. I seem to be turning out to be the bad guy.  
  
Then again, I _was_ helping out that girl, right?  
  
Who's to say I was in the wrong?  
  
I mean… will those boys ever do something like that again? After what happened?  
  
But, then again, did I go too far with this?  
  
I did get rather attached to Annabelle a little too quickly… What came over me?

 

I would have never done that if…  
  
It suddenly hit me. If I didn't have the power I would never have considered revenge. It wasn't just Annabelle.  
  
It was my desire to _control_ that power again.  
  
Had my fear of it really disappeared so quickly? Was I that curious to use it again?  
  
When I went home, I noticed the top tier’s gate opening for Aldin again. I must have arrived at the main road right after school got out. I quickly hid my face with my jacket, putting my hands in my pocket. I still had Sparkles in my eyes, still feeling that sensation of light and seeing the stars in the daylight. I heard Miss Guinevere's music and television, the vibrations of something being heated in what I could only assume was the microwave. I felt the waves and looked up to see Miss Guinevere's body heat through her apartment, the temperatures varying around her apartment. The red, green, and blue lights formed Miss Guinevere’s shape, sitting down as she was watching late night shows. I didn't know enough about the light spectrum to know what I was seeing, only that there was light emitting from her skin that I could see through the wall…  
  
I entered my hippie den, flipping the tarp over and throwing my backpack down. I took off my jacket, "Out." It wasn’t really a command this time, I just couldn’t bring myself too.

  
I opened my eyes as big as they could go, seeing a white flash for a moment and feeling the power leave me as Sparkles bounced into view. The white light disappeared as she morphed, and looked over her shoulder to me, saddened as she bobbed a little in the air.

  
"I don't know what I'm doing, alright!?" my rage finally got me. I slammed my jacket down on my bean bag. "I don’t understand it!" I pointed my finger menacingly at her, my nostrils flaring. I suddenly calmed down, realizing what this meant. "Wait… I don't need to understand it." I looked away. This was the biggest epiphany yet. I looked back, smiling and laughing slightly, pointing with less intimidating force now. "You can control it through me too, can't you? L-like the first time!"  
  
She looked so scared of me, cringing away, but still she nodded. Her head lowered as she sunk herself further to the floor, falling softly out of the air in front of me. Her big, innocent eyes watched me carefully, as though submitting.  
  
"…Sparkles." I bent down, realizing how complicated human emotions—especially mine—must be for an alien who has never experienced them before. "I'm sorry… come here."  
  
She was on the verge of tears, but dashed into my arms, like a child wanting to be consoled. I petted her head, scratched her ears, and stroked her back. Basically trying anything to calm her down and stop shivering, "I need to practice is all… I won't let what happened today happen again."  
  
I may have said that, but power… _  
  
  
_

_...can get to a girl's head._

  
Using light to tune a radio signal directly to my ears, they had began playing one of my favorite songs from the old disco pop years. “Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk.” I hummed, though I was probably interrupting someone’s signal.

  
The next day was _bliss_.  
  
Saturday fever! As some would say.  
  
I walked down the market streets, sunglasses on, wearing the old man's abandoned trench coat that I had found in my apartment building. I looked to the traffic light, tipping my glasses slightly; I pulled the red light out of its original spot and replaced it with purple. The drivers looked confused as I walked away. I heard someone shout when all the lights started blinking random flashes like a rave.

 

Practice makes perfect, so here I was, making sure to cause no harm and toy with nature for a moment.

 

I noticed a young child, wearing a school uniform and clinging to their mother’s hand, licking some ice cream. But during the joy of the icy cold cream, the child knocked the ice cream away when their wild licks were too powerful for their gentle hold. It began to fall, splitting off into half melted spats with the larger cone and cream tumbling in the air.

  
Oh? A kid spilling his ice cream?  
  
I summoned forth some of the traffic lights’ power, draining it into my being before transferring it as force energy. The traffic light yellow color rocked the falling ice cream, catching it just before hitting the ground. Folding over it like a dome, the caution light swung the ice cream back into the child’s hand. The child looked around, but the light had returned into my waiting hand as I passed by on the other side of the street.  
  
I wore my fancy, but overly big lady hat. One I'm sure the old man's wife wore, having found it in an extravagant round box.  
  
Some young, sleazy guy lifted a woman's skirt, running by as I tripped him with the murky grey of the wet and dirty sidewalk pavement. He fell as the light weaved its way back into the sidewalk.  
  
The woman ran over and started beating him with her purse. Good for her. I turned around, smirking at how well I was learning about my abilities when…  
  
"Thief!" A woman yelled as a few men dashed into a heavily stocked black car.

 

They rolled right past me as I stared at the scene. I would have done something, but then three superheroes raced by me. I literally had to hold my coat with one hand, and my hat with the other, lifting my pinkie and ring finger up to hold my glasses. After the wind settled from their arrival, I looked up to see Rocketman, his sidekick Jet, and Lady Saint Grace stopping the vehicle.  
  
Lady Saint Grace went right in front of the car, riding her pegasus made of clouds as it kicked the screen open. Its nostrils puffed wild rain and neighed thunder as the men tried to block themselves from the glass. She raised her sword which slowly glowed, charging with heavenly light power as she slashed through the car.  
  
"Heh, not even a fair joust." I stated under my breath, moving my mouth beneath the oversized trench coat collar.  
  
"Hey, Grace! We're not trying to kill them here!" Jet remarked, blasting forward and then doing a sonic boom punch, causing the car to completely split in half.

  
"Oh, and thou’s actions were excessively better?" Lady Saint Grace commented, looking back at him with an unamused tone.  
  
"Well, it was cooler!" He retorted as the split car fell on opposite sides. Its passengers jumped out of their seats as the sides began to topple, avoiding falling with it, and now huddled closely to one another in the middle.  
  
"Now then…" Rocketman began, fire ignited at the bottom of his feet. He lifted a flaming shoe and held it up to the face of one of the men. "Who wanted the Celestial Emerald?"  
  
"Talk! Or we'll have to do something worse than split your car like a freakin’ banana." Jet cracked his knuckles, smiling that happy-go-lucky grin that he was famous for.  
  
I slowly started walking away, hoping Lady Saint Grace wouldn’t recognize me or something odd— _and bad_ —like that. I knew she hadn’t seen me, but I wasn’t taking any chances this time around.  
  
"We… We won't talk!" the man started, scared out of his wits as he flinched away from Rocketman’s popping sparks flying off his foot.  
  
The old hero chuckled, "Oh?" He held his foot closer, flaming like a engine about to blast off.  
  
"A… Alright! Alright! It was the son of Dark Destiny!"  
  
I stopped walking.  
  
"What?" Rocketman held down his foot.  
  
"He wants revenge! And he'll do anything to get it too!"  
  
I turned my head slightly, wanting to hear more when…  
  
"My, what beautiful eyes you have…"  
  
I turned toward the sound of the voice but all I saw was a thick, dark blackness in a large alleyway. With this sunny day, how could it be so dark?  
  
"You wouldn't happen to possess some rare _gift_ now… would you?" in the darkness, I saw a pair of beady red eyes. "I felt and saw what you did there… through the darkness of your sunglasses, and by feeling the absence of light. You stole the streetlights’ power. Light power to be exact, right?" the eyes then turned more human as a figure’s shape formed. It was as though the darkness was bending away from him, parting like thick, smokey clouds billowing off the sides.  
  
He had a hand on his hip, and was wearing some dark clothes. He had a long open cloak with a leather shirt lined with locks and silver spikes across it, and belts with buckles strung mercilessly around his waist.  
  
"I see, you're not one to talk about your abilities, right?" he also was wearing sunglasses, but then… those red eyes…

 

His hair was a dark, sleek black that gave off the identity of obsidian. It literally looked like his hair was metal, though clearly it wasn’t. He was short, a pipsqueak, but his outward persona had an odd likability. I just watched him walk around me, glaring slightly as I found his movements oddly tense.  
  
"I, too, have an ability of light… more of… _the_ _power to absorb it_." He took out his gloved hand, showing how the area of light around him seemed to spiral away into a black hole like effect. "Pretty, isn't it?" he then reversed it, morphing the strange black hole backwards to release the light. "Are you a hero or a villain?" he asked, showing a poker face as he awaited my response.  
  
"Neither." I stated flatly. "I'm not here to make _any_ enemies…"  
  
"Hahaha! Neither? No one can be neither." He laughed, it sounded quite demented as I flinched slightly at its squeakiness. "You're either good or bad, love. Take your pick..." he seemed to growl out the last part as he moved behind me, running his finger directly across my shoulder blades, letting the curves take them where they pleased.  


" _I said neither_." I spun around and tried to whack him away, speaking through gritted teeth. He had stopped to the side of me, dodging when I retaliated as though fully expecting it. "There is such a thing as Yin and Yang, you know." The shiver that ran up my spin didn't help the sensation that came from him touching me… "There can be darkness in light, and light in the darkness." I had actually thought about this all last night. I wanted to use my powers for my own use, at my own judgment of right or wrong, and not get involved with heroes _or_ villains.  
  
"But the two never mix. You see that?" He put his fingers together, addressing me now at a distance. It's then that I realized we were surrounded in a bubble, completely invisible to the outside world. He was absorbing the light around us, reflecting it back to make it seem like we weren't even there.  
  
So close to the enemy yet… completely safe.  
  
            _Clever._

  
"I know, what's your point?"  
  
"Darkness _can_ coexists with light, same with the reverse, but the two can never be a _part_ of each other. Yin and Yang can never be one. They are two entities that are forever together but can never join into anything. One cannot _exist_ without the other… but they will always try to conquer and destroy their opposite. It’s just their nature." He looked so smug, gesturing with his hands in an almost flamboyant manner to prove his theories. It was so annoying… but the red glare from his eyes were starting to protrude from his dark sunglasses again. What was it about this boy that made me feel so… so…

 

 _Enchanted._  
  
"What about the color _grey_?" I retorted smugly to combat his own response, folding my arms in obvious defiance.  
  
"Hmph." he smiled, looking down and recognizing my comeback. "A wise follow-up. But grey is not within Yin and Yang." He turned around from his preaching and looked at me with a flirty kind of tilt to his head, his expression hypnotic. "You're fun. You should decide which side you're leaning towards. It would be _grand_ if your light and my darkness were to work towards a common goal, even if it is against our natures. Naturally, the two elements would want to combat each other.” He flicked a finger at me, tauntingly. “But they do say… opposites attract. There are many useful powers to light you cannot even comprehend!” he flared his arms out, “I can help you… if you'll help me." He stepped forward and took my arm, pulling it out from the other one, sliding his hand down to my own.

 

I couldn’t move. _I didn’t know why._

 

He held my hand in-between both his own, "The heroes let my father die, does that make them bad or good? ...Well, you have a point. There could be darkness in them as well." He kissed my hand, making me snap out of it. I slipped my hand out of his cold touch, not liking how jumbled my thoughts had become.

 

It was… almost unnerving how I didn’t even move to resist his touch and even that weirdo hand-kiss.  
  
"But…" he leaned back up with such a wicked smile as though taking pleasure in trying to using my own words against me. I felt like slapping the smugness clear off his face.  
  
He started to walk away, the darkness leaving as people began noticing me within the mist. "A person can only really do good or evil. It's not good _and_ evil… it's always _or_. You can't be both, deary.”

 

I didn’t want him to leave yet. It was like he was walking away after that win, leaving me no room for rebuttal. Though, if he stayed, I guess that would be bad for me too. He was the son of a supervillain, right? Whatever he wanted this power for was probably not in my best interest.

 

“But what if there wasn’t any name to it? What if there was no white… no black… just you?"  
  
Before he disappeared into the darkness, I outstretched my hand to feel the aurora of light around him.  
  
            _He had no aura._  


I tried to hone my eyes and find a heat signature, forcing them shut and opening them wide, trying to see him clearly but he was still invisible.  
  
He turned his head slightly back to me, "Call me." He winked before disappearing completely into thin air.  
  
I blinked my eyes. He seemed to have limited my ability by absorbing the light force I had stored within me. I touched my chest, I felt no light, even Sparkles was a bit stunned at first.  
  
            _Wait…_  
  
I looked up, remembering him running his finger across my back.  
  
"Dang!" I let out another growl, reaching behind me to feel my back. "He sucked it right out of me!"  
  
_The one weakness of light… absolute darkness…_  
  
Great… Sparkles began to communicate again, making the situation sound even worse than I thought.

  
_Just like the plainness of my homeworld… I'll have no power without color._  
  
Even better… I should really teach Sparkles about tact.  
  
I thought and rolled my eyes. "He's gonna wanna chat with me again…"  
  
_Why?_  
  
Sparkles inquired, leading me to continue speaking to her through my mind. People were starting to stare…

 

I put my hands in my pocket and walked out of the alley, attempting a low profile as eyes kept wandering to me. ‘Probably for my strength. Light can also be the destruction of darkness. If bright enough, anyway. It's nice to have your number one threat on your side, right?’  
  
_Why should he want a 'side'?_  
  
‘He wants revenge.’ I angled my mouth to the side, ‘This probably isn’t a good thing for us.’  
  
_So, will he hurt people... like you did to those males?_  
  
I looked down. She repeated the memory in my head to clarify what she was talking about, but it didn't help my mood.

 

I lifted my head up and sighed, a fatal error, considering…  
  
"Hey… don't I know you?"  
  
            _Oh, heavens no._  
  
I turned around.  
  
"Remember? Jet-sy!" He held his arms out, doing a little dance as if waiting for me to remember.  
  
"How?" I _hate_ this. I was so absorbed in my conversation with Sparkles about Dark Destiny’s son trying to recruit me, I had forgotten why I was trying to be covert in the first place!

  
"Don’t you recognize me?" he teased, coming up to me. I quickly pushed my glasses up.

 

_He can’t see my eyes.  
  
  
_

"Woah, you okay? Don't need to flip out now, it's me! The guy that stopped that car when-” He paused suddenly... is that something that this kid could do? “Well, actually it was detectives on a case about an illegal dealing business underground, but…" he looked guilty, rubbing the back of his neck like he made a mistake. "Well, you take your losses and learn from them, right?" he teased, trying to brush it off. "And you are..?"  
  
I dashed away.  
  
"H-hey! Wait!" he flew off, a good foot ahead of me. I stopped with my foot coming down at an angle, ready to dart the other way, but upon coming to a halt my magenta hat started slipping off my head. I reached up and grabbed it, unable to perform my swift maneuver to avoid him. I wasn’t sure what his purpose was for quickly cutting me off like that. The air was just starting to still after launching ahead of me. He stood with his hands on his hips, still smiling like a doofus as though waiting to see what I’d do next. It was like kids staring each other down in a game of tag, waiting for any sudden movement. And I sure wasn’t _it_.

 

He came zooming back, literally stopping inches from my face as the sonic boom pushed me back and had me tumbling backwards on to the ground.

  
"W-what the-!?" I said, bewildered as I still clutched my hat.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I just didn't want you to leave. Buuut, pretty cool, right?" he gestured two thumbs up at me, trying to look impressive or something.  
  
Gosh, I really hated that smile. He was getting in my way just to flirt, wasn’t he?

 

 _How annoying…_  
  
"Look, I don't have time to joke around!" I stated, getting up and dusting myself off.  
  
"Oh…” His attitude suddenly changed, seeing I wasn’t taking his little ‘show’ very well. “Um... sorry, I didn't meant to-" He was about to approach me again, considerably flustered and trying to help me when Rocketman spoke up.  
  
"Jet, it's not time to socialize. We need to find Shade. Let's move out."  
  
"Uh…" he did a double take to Rocketman, looking at me, and then him again. "Well… I'll just promise to randomly run into you later, okay?" He pointed both fingers at me and looked like he was setting up a date or something. "’Kay? Great. See ya then!" he dashed off, following Rocketman's huge launch from the ground as Lady Saint Grace's cloud pegasus reared up. It’s cloud mass was struck somewhat by their jet streams, but reformed itself and shook its head, recovering and dashing off to follow them.

 

I stared off at their departing lines, hearing the bustling of people snapping photos of the event.

  
Heroes… Villains… We're all bad and good guys in the end.

 

I let the whiplash of the moment beat against my face, but unlike that sonic boom, I didn’t get flung back this time.  
  
Heroes are the enemies of villains, they think they're the only good guys. While villains are the heroes' arch nemeses, they consider their motives to be good for themselves.  
  
Is righteousness or justice really just in the sight of the beholder?  
  
Like… is it really just perceptive?  
  
I think it's more over how you place judgment… that determines which side you're on.  
  
That may change though…  
  
I sighed. I had enough of Supers for one day.  
  
I got home and plopped down on my bean bag, face first as my butt stuck up and Sparkles flew around in confusion. I kept her occupied with a stuffed toy I bought her on the way home.

 

Money was now coming at a slower pace, not from any shady industry anymore, though. Didn’t want to find myself looking for redemption in some radioactive pig, cat, or spider thing.  
  
When she was playing and well distracted by the glittering pet toy, I snuck my prized possession into the refrigerator, along with the other groceries in their place.  
  
I got out my spoon.  
  
I sat on my bean bag with my bowl.  
  
And finally…  
  
            _Finally…_  
  
I could eat my cookies and cream ice cream while watching old reruns of my favorite comedy show…

 

 _...in peace_.  
  
I wasn't even gonna think about that Shade guy or what he said.  
  
I wasn't gonna think about Aldin, or the teachers, or Annabelle.  
  
And I was certainly _not_ going to think about… ugh, _Jet._  
  
"Why am I attracting all these weirdos to me?" I stated, looking lazily to the side at Sparkles playing on the ground. My head relaxed on my bean bag, watching her first paw at the toy like a cat before pouncing on it and then trying to rip it to shreds like a dog. She used her back legs to kick at it, rolling onto her back, really wanting it dead before nibbling on it. When she felt me staring, she looked up with utter delight in her eyes. At least she could forget everything so easily…  
  
But then… another question came back to my mind.

 

" _Are_ you a predator species?" She may look like a bunny, but the image of a carnivorous white rabbit that could only be killed by a holy hand grenade suddenly rang _profoundly_ in my mind.


	4. The Mysterious Mask

**Colors**

 

Ch. 4

 

_The Mysterious Mask_

 

By: Cutegirlmayra (Enjoy! I never know how a story will come out till it's out. Edited: Now enjoy the edits! :Db)

 

After a long day of school, and teaching Sparkles how to sit and stay quietly at home eating cereal, I finally closed the locker door and sighed in exhaustion. Gravity, and the other—more emotional—weights of my life, began to stink in and drag me down a bit. As soon as I felt my shoulders give way, I leaned my back against the locker and lifted my head up, a momentary relief to keep me from falling. I tried to regroup my thoughts, like what was I gonna do with this new power? I guess, anything I wanted too… Except, I had learned the hard way how that turns out.

 

_So long as no one gets hurt…_

 

My backpack strap fell from my shoulder, and without even looking at it, I stood up straight and pulled it back into the right place.

 

Then it was time for science class.

 

"Now, you've all learned about the light spectrum before, haven't you?" The teacher began walking around the class, having an attitude like a foreign instructor with a very whiny voice, unnecessarily regal and overlordly with his college professor-esque glasses, demeanor, and teaching habits.

 

You could swear he was a wannabe, if it weren't for the fact that he had all the degrees to be a college professor. But he was paid well for teaching the rich kids here, why adjust when life can be _so good_ here?

 

"Mr. Bagsley. I do hope you know what you're doing." The teacher lowered his glasses slightly when a nerdy looking kid foolishly raised his hand in the back row.

 

This particular instructor had an infamous record for tripping up his students. Bagsley got up, looking smug but coming off rather nervous. Anxiety is never truly present unless it's a nerd fearing he'll disappoint by saying the wrong answer, thus humiliating the status he so carefully acquired. Sweating buckets galore, he began with what he was probably ninety-five percent sure was correct, but it was the remaining five percent that caused the panic. "The light spectrum, also known as the Electromagnetic Spectrum, contains multiple wave properties such as radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma rays…"

 

"Didn't he just list them all?" Someone’s voice whispered behind me.

 

"He did say ‘such as’ not ‘all the above’. Haha!" The next kid’s voice was louder.

 

"What a geek." Someone flat out insulted. Rude. But they weren’t wrong...

 

The boy twiddled his fingers together, not sure if he should continue with those especially rude kids making him feel inferior and shy. The poor boy, I decided to help and give him a quick smile and nod.

 

It seemed to mean the world to him as his face beamed up immediately and he struck a confident pose. He continued, straightening himself up. "Scientists usually measure these waves, called wavelengths. And their frequency, resulting in the formula-"

 

"Thank you, Bagsley. You can sit down now…" The teacher pushed his glasses up, shooing the boy into stopping mid-sentence and gesturing for him to sit down.

 

"Can light bend? Anyone?" the teacher continued.

 

_Light…_

 

My eyes adjusted from their dazed state and I leaned more forward in my seat.

 

Sparkles could control that… but what about the whole of the spectrum?

 

The action of leaning up moved my chair forward, causing a large squeak against the floor that caught everyone’s attention in the room.

 

"Miss Corelle, since your so wide-eyed on the subject at hand, why not give us—oh, let's say… a wild guess, hmm?" his voice rang in my ears, cradling one hand like a bent wing and flaring the other one to mock my enthusiasm.

 

"Uhh…" I looked him dead in the eye with horror, then back at the class behind me. Why did school look so much like a pre-college class? Oh, that's right… _this was upstairs_. One of the Richie classes that I just so happen to have taken.

 

Science was a lucky shot at me actually getting a proper education... considering this was a rich class with a teacher who actually knew what he was talking about. But did he have to make the atmosphere so uptight?

 

I cleared my throat, “Well," I slowly turned around, blinking my eyes rapidly while smacking my lips. Putting on my best fake smile, because a particular red-headed orphan said you’re never fully dressed without it, I put my hands together and placed them delicately on the table. I gave my teacher an overly cocky attitude which was totally irrational, but I think if my mind's eye is correctly portraying this, I looked _smashing_.

 

And yes, I was mocking his professional demeanor because he didn't actually look like a foreign professor with an outstanding paycheck, but do I really have to tell you all my thoughts and why I do things this way so…

 

_...bluntly?_

 

_Context, darling._

 

_It's part of the magic of imagination._

 

"Light can be bent." I began, "Now, physically speaking? Well, I wouldn't know that, however!" I almost spoke a bit too professionally, by turning to the side and smacking my hand down on the table as though a salesman stating, ‘But wait, there’s more!’. I heard someone in the back giggle, but I kept on going, no reason to stop now. I just kept thinking about my own experience with Sparkles, hoping that would come in handy, if… there was any logic to her powers, anyway. "You can bend light, and you can do it through many different ways." I smugly stopped, that was as far as I would go with this. I was slightly making fun of my teacher's attitude, but he didn't seem to notice my subtle tease. Which was a good thing, he might have given me detention if he did…

 

Still, I slid back into my seat and folded my arms, triumphant that I answered it without a way for the teacher to combat me.

 

"Very good…" he almost scowled at me, it was like he hated his students being so smart. Like his one joy in life was torturing his students with their futile knowledge about the subject, and then embarrassing them while he stood high and mighty expounding upon it. Some people like that power… watching the world burn.

 

Most people with money would, knowing their safes are fireproof…

 

How could people who hold so much power to change the world do nothing with it? Just to laugh at us. Why?

 

His upper lip twitched a bit, he seemed frustrated as he walked to the front of the class. "In that case, would anyone give me an example of how light bends?" He clicked his heels together, speaking to us after reclaiming his position of power at the front of the room.

 

"Refraction." A boy spoke up, but he didn't raise his hand!

 

"Silence! I shall call on you!” he threateningly walked up the steps and pointed to the boy. “In this life, no one may speak freely without permission to do so!"  The boy shrivel up in his seat. My science teacher was lean and tall, looking like something out of a black and white horror flick, suit and all. "Now then…" he walked back, his heels clicking once again with the floor. "Refraction _is_ a way to bend light, but is it a physical bending of light?"

 

The bell rang.

 

At this point, I didn’t care. School was over, and I learn from _experience_ anyway.

 

I ran out of that class. If I wanted to learn about light and how it moved, I could do it in the library or out in the field instead.

 

"There will be a test the day after tomorrow!" The teacher raised his lanky arm skyward, but the students ran by him, all excited to be free from an hour in his grasp.

 

On the way to the cafeteria, I stopped by the library and checked out a book all about the properties of light and what not. Guess some of it was physical after all.

 

I thought the X-ray thing was pretty cool, maybe I could see people's skeletons?

 

But I was looking for abilities— _powers._ Something I could use for whenever the opportunity might arise.

 

Maybe radiation poisoning? If ever—knock on wood—I needed to kill someone I could just shine that light in there face. Then again… it would take a while for any real effects to occur.

 

_Wait…_

 

_Why am I thinking of ways to kill people with light!?_

 

I put the book down, frowning with disgust at my thoughts. I didn’t want to hurt people, just defend myself and others if needs be. That’s… that’s what you do with power, right? You should help people with it!

 

I mean, I could always just use solar rays. If Sparkles really could take light and make it a physical object, then maybe I could…

 

_Nope!_

 

I stopped myself. This was wrong.

 

I immediately put the book away.

 

I thought light was supposed to be a good thing? When did it get all dark?

 

Oh man… did I just make a _really_ bad pun?

 

"Hey! If it isn't my holler-girl."

 

_Not you…_

 

Aldin sat down, smiling with his perfect white teeth and putting his tray down next to me. For someone who lived in the fancy pants part of town, he really didn't dress like it. He wore a hoodie again, but must have tossed the beanie. Dang, I really liked that look. Instead, his obvious choice for a good replacement was _clearly_ having a sweatband around his head.

 

"Really?" I accidently said out loud after he took the hoodie off to reveal that awful decision he probably made just as he was waking up.

 

"Hmm? Oh, that's right,” he raised a finger and then pointed it up at me, “You didn't 'holler' at me." He attempted to tap the finger onto my nose, but I pulled away from it at the last second. He wouldn’t let misunderstanding die of natural causes, would he? I just couldn’t wrap my head around it unlike that sweatband wrapped around his head. He began eating some mac and cheese off his plate, not seeming to mind my rejection.

 

"No, not that." I shook my head, it really was quite a sight. For a rich kid, he really _did not_ know how to dress…

 

"What's with the headband?"

 

"What? My sweatband?"

 

"Giving it another name doesn't help." I swear I would have laughed if this didn't conflict with all my biased opinions on the rich culture upbringing. Plus, he looked hot, how can hot people make such bad fashion decisions?

 

"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost…" he looked at me with a kooky expression.

 

"Right out of a vintage workout video." I huffed out slightly.

 

"What? Okay, what do you have against my headband? Did it hurt you?" he faked offence, which I laughed at. I limited it to a giggle, just to make him not feel bad about his joke.

 

Stop trying to read context as if there's 'clues' for something.

 

That was just a joke from before!

 

Don't take it seriously!

 

"Uh, doll? The shiny logo, right smack dab in the middle of it, is blinding me." I lifted my hand up and acted like the silver in front was reflecting light in my eyes. He pouted and swiped my hand away playfully.

 

"It's rude to make fun of people's possessions." He scolded, “You’re causing a scene.” he picked up his spoon to scoop up some jello on his plate, then looked to mine. "What's this..?" he motioned his spoon around my food, seeing as I only had grapes and some orange juice.

 

"It's all I could afford, okay?" I stated, grabbing a grape and popping it in my mouth. "Besides, we can't all have rich parents to spoil us." I sarcastically inputted, nonchalantly continuing to eat.

 

"…Not all of us have families." He suddenly said, tilting his head and looking down. He still had hints of a smile but it had dropped considerably. This worried me greatly.

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

_Oh, please… for the love of all that's decent, don't let him say one of his parents died or something._

 

"My parents died."

 

_Crap!_

 

"I live with my uncle uptop. My parents were poor, worked in a factory for all their married lives trying to keep me and my brother fed." He poked at his meat with his spoon, forlorn. He kept it up as though eventually the meat would be tender enough to split in two nice pieces for him to eat.

 

My eyes were wide.

 

 _I am terrible person_.

 

Compared to this, his headband was retro.

 

"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered, looking down in shame and fiddling with my grapes on my plate, letting them roll around. "I'm sure you and your brother are in good hands…"

 

"My brother died."

 

I instinctively slammed my hand on the table, looking away.

 

I turned myself away in defeat, angry from realizing my horrible mistake. How could I say that and move on from my last slip-up? But no, I just _had_ to further my folly!

 

You'd think this world wouldn't be so messed up as to have a girl's opinion on a headband lead to the tragic backstory where she outright insults the poor, miserable boy.

 

My opinions are dangerous in this world.

 

I should of learned years ago to keep them to myself…

 

"Heh," Aldin leaned back as though returning to the cafeteria, having been gone a moment in his own thoughts. He gently chuckled it off, slouching forward again and playing with his food. "He died of a disease. Looked nothing more than a fever to me and the butler, so we thought nothing of it." He looked down, still trying to hold a front, I could tell.

 

"He's happier _way_ uptop, though." He finally picked his fork up in the other hand and bit a piece of meat off, then took a napkin and wiped his mouth, going for a bag of chips. "Fire in the hole!" he yelled, squeezing the top of the bag and slamming it into his other hand with a loud pop. "Haha, I used to have a friend who did that." He seemed to be regaining some of his cheerfulness. "We'd all duck. It was pretty hilarious. Until the security walked by and we were busted." He was doing so well evading the last topic.

 

"Yeah… well, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he is." I took a grape and ate it. "Um..." keeping my finger near my mouth, I looked back up at him. "So… you-"

 

"Wanna hang out sometime?" he suddenly cut in.

 

He turned to me with such a smile… it was contagious, it had to be.

 

_Because I just had to smile too._

 

Oh gosh, did I just say _contagious_ after he told me his brother died of a 'disease'!?

 

I truly am a horrible person.

 

"Why are you being so honest with me?" I suddenly blurted out.

 

"Huh?" he seemed a bit startled by my reaction.

 

"You're just… pleasantly open. You know that? People might get the wrong idea…" I looked away.

 

"What do you mean? Wrong… idea?"

 

"Get out of my way!"

 

We both turned around at the loud cry, a few tables behind Aldin. A boy had gotten up, having his shirt ruined with some pudding, looking greatly upset.

 

"Who do you think you are!? You can't just bully me like this! What’d I ever do to you?" It was the Bagsley boy, oh no…

 

I slowly stood up.

 

"What's your problem kid?! I was just asking if you didn't want your-" The other kid began, but Bagsley quickly cut him off.

 

"Of course I want my lunch. I wouldn’t have bought it if I didn’t!"

 

He was fuming, and for the first moment in my life, I saw the very moment when an innocent boy just snapped into something else.

 

"You're all just like Shade said!" Bagsley suddenly blurted out, and right when he did, Aldin stood up. "Nothing but snot-nose _normals_!"

 

In a whirlwind that spiraled at his feet, his hefty frame was lifted up into the air. Trays and trash cans fell down and were carried in the massive windstorm that was being created around him. He shot out the door, blasting it open as Aldin and I ducked under the bolted tables. He swiftly flew outside and floated in the eye of the tornado, the winds covered my view of him except for his glowing white eyes. He lifted his hand up again, forming a separate blast of wind and firing it back at the bully, flinging him backwards into the kitchen.

 

The lunch ladies all freaked out. "Call someone! Help!" A foreign woman with a thick accent screamed as she literally climbed over the food counters to make a speedy escape. She was hysterical, I mean, I knew people feared young Supers for being notoriously out of control, but not like this.

 

I turned my attention back to Bagsley, running toward the center of the storm. It certainly looked like there was a storm forming around the boy, grey clouds striking lightning at every angle, leaving him barely visible at its center.

 

"Stop!" Aldin grabbed my arm, "You don't know what you're doing!"

 

"Let me go!" I knew I didn't have Sparkles with me, mentally scolding myself. She was so well-behaved last time, though she was also the reason I was just as dangerous as this boy. The minute _I_ snapped.

 

I couldn't help but feel like if I had the right person… someone kind and understanding had found me, given me a hug, told me this wasn't right, and not who I was… I would've stopped.

 

"He needs me…" My voice dipped into a plea as I looked back at Aldin. The wind whipped my hair around me as Aldin’s concerned eyes filled with understanding. With absolute trust that not even my parents or closest friends have ever shown me, he let my hand go and slowly moved back.

 

"Whatever you do…” I could see in the furrow of his eyebrows that releasing me was difficult, “Don't get hurt," he stated, nodding to me.

 

I nodded back.

 

_Now I knew I could trust him._

 

As I tried to push through the storm, Aldin ran off the other way. I figured he must have gone off to do the chivalrous thing and get a teacher to call for Super help.

 

"Bagsley!" I cried out, my feet slipping from below me as the gust was just too powerful.

 

"C-Corelle…?" I heard a faint voice, like a child's, calling out as a small air tunnel spun to create a path before me. I collapsed on my knees, the air was still lashing toward me but I could at least move through this breezy tunnel to the eye. I tried to duck as lightning zapped by me in a spiral, curling over the arch of the wind tunnel. I brought my hands over head, stopping in terror.

 

"Bagsley! Stop!" I cried out, but not forcefully. My voice was tender with mercy.

 

"You wouldn't understand!” he cried out, “I don't want to hurt you! I just want to teach them I'm not as small or helpless as I seem! I was just being nice by letting them get away with it!"

 

"This isn't the right way to relay that message!" I shouted, still cowering as I hobbled through the tunnel that boomed with thunder. The shocked walls of the tunnel lit up with lightning at different intervals, but I pushed through the madness. I was getting closer, but that’s when I started feeling light drops of rain… was this the tempest of his soul?

 

"Shade said to let it out… that I don't need to be at their mercy anymore…” Shade?! How did he get to this boy? “ _They can be at mine!"_

 

"How did you meet Shade!?" I asked, but he didn't respond.

 

"You should join him, Corelle… if you're super too.” His voice turned gentler than. “He'll make a world where justice will be had. You can hurt the people that have hurt you back! Take what they have taken from you!"

 

I finally reached the center, squinting my eyes as the boy was surrounded in a bright light, almost like a sun. "Bagsley… stop…” I found myself feeling weary, but I couldn’t let this poor boy be manipulated. “This isn't how justice is had! Trust me! I know!" I felt the regret come swarming back into my heart, aching my chest. I had hurt them so badly… for justice. But I had learned the hard way that justice isn’t always just. I looked down, I wasn't sure if the rain was making my face wet or my tears. How do I tell him? I hollered back, "Please! It's not worth it! This isn't the justice you want! It's respect! It's an apology!" the boy's face came into view, he was crying just as much as I was.

 

"W…what other way is there?" He looked so genuinely confused, so sad, like he truly didn't know. He was sincerely a kind boy, I could tell. Just like I was… Until my rage got the better of me as well.

 

"Get away from her!"

 

A shot, arrowing like a bullet, blasted through the raging vortex. A figure in black and green tackled Bagsley right through to the other side.

 

"No!" I shouted out. The hero didn't know, he didn't know the boy was innocent! I raced toward the wall, the winds dying down now that their master was removed from his pedestal.

 

_It was Jet._

 

Rocketman was next to him, peering down at the boy as he struggled to get loose.

 

"Take him back the hero’s school. Dr. Ram can have his way with him and find out more about his powers." Rocketman stated as Jet nodded, punching the boy out to knock him unconscious.

 

"No!" I shouted again, but a figure from behind me swooped in and latched their arms around my waist and across my chest, completely immobilizing me. "W-what? What are you doing!? He's innocent! He was just-he was just…" How could a hero understand!? I dropped my head in defeat.

 

These aren't heroes… heroes must _understand_ the mind of their opponent. They have to save them… physically, yes but even more so _emotionally._ Villains aren't born, they’re _made!_ And if done right, they can be _changed._ At least, the willing and good of heart can be…

 

"Bagsley!"

 

Jet carried the boy's limp body without any care over his shoulder, turning his attention back to me. He looked deeply into my eyes, seeming to wonder what my feelings were, searching for a clue upon my face. I thought they were clear enough.

 

_Apparently not._

 

He gave me a signature smile and wink with an equally cruel thumbs up before flying out at rapid speeds, out of sight besides a jetstream that trailed behind him.

 

"No… Jet…" My eyes followed his frame and his turbulence that left quickly with the smoke.

 

"Child, be still. That boy is in good hands." I turned to see Lady Saint Grace as she released me and patted my shoulder with a firm shake. "All is well."

 

But all was most certainly _not_ well _._

 

He was no criminal.

 

Just a scared and desperate kid.

 

I hung my head down, wishing to say so many things that didn't _dare_ cross my lips in front of these—so called— _heroes_.

 

Rocketman must have seen the scorn and anger in my eyes, addressing it at once. "What is it?" He must have suspected me of being like the boy, seeing how I went against the heroes actions when dealing with him. He was a strong, masculine hero, one that could strike fear into his enemies eyes; his intimidating presence forced me to immediately back down. He was one of the leading heroes in Koleroy, but explaining why I was against their ways would be like declaring myself a villain. I could only shake my fist at my sides, clenching my teeth tightly together to hold back my defiance.

 

"You... you should have saved him. Not knock him out."

 

"The children of this school were in danger. I removed it, do you understand? It was the need of the many. His powers will be addressed, recorded, and hopefully he will be reformed into a prosperous superhero."

 

"He doesn't need to be a superhero… what about his normal life?" My head was still down, eyes steadily fixed on the ground. He was too intimidating to argue with, I had to look away to speak my mind.

 

"What are you talking about? If you have powers, you must become a hero, and use them for the good of all mankind. You can't return to 'normal' anymore," he explained. His voice sounded clear on the matter, but not all that wise to me.

 

My head shot up as I placed a brave foot forward, "And anyone that defies those protocols are suddenly branded a villain, right!?"

 

Lady Saint Grace held an even firmer grip on my shoulder, her mask revealing only her eyes that glared in holy protest.

 

"Only the righteous are truly fit to protect," she stated. "How can thou savest souls if we are not all of one purpose?"

 

"That boy… he didn't _choose_ to be taken to your, so called, _hero’s school_. You're forcing him to decide. Of course he'll be good! He's not bad! He just-"

 

"Doesn't understand how to use his gift. Which is what we’re here for, to ensure he doesn’t endanger the safety of the people. He will learn to control his powers for the greater good." His voice tried to stay kind but remained in authority. His suspicion got the better of him, though. I could tell as he lowered himself into a bow to get a good look at me, "Do you… have powers, by chance?" He looked to Lady Saint Grace, and then back to me.

 

"…No." I stated, looking away.

 

"Are you sure, child?"

 

"Yes, dang it! I think you're all so blinded by your own views of right and wrong that you've lost sight of the truth!" I rolled my shoulder free of Lady Saint Grace's hold. "Villains aren't all bad, your views are what label them as in the wrong! It's not fair!"

 

I dashed off as they watched me. I didn't know what to do… only that I had to find a new, _fairer_ system. I had to create my _own_ identity.

 

At home, I took out all my savings and headed to the fabric store. I picked things out that would go well with my shape, and thought over the design carefully. Once gathered, I returned to my hippie den to set up my workstation, pulling out my ice cream and sitting it down next to me. Sparkles licked the serving spoon while I traced and cut the patterns out. Well… it wasn't perfect but it will have to do.

 

White, a color that reflects all other colors, as well as reflecting my beliefs. Then I had the three primary colors striped in two areas down the body of my suit. Then, a main wave across my chest to show the light spectrum of sorts. The three colors outlined the suit, following the seam down the sides of my shoulders and legs. Finally, a red mask. I put it over my face after stripping on my full body, skin-tight suit. The hands and the feet had a wave stripe of the three colors in a V shape. I looked in my dusty old mirror at myself…

 

"I look… like a tragedy." I stated as Sparkles Ooh'd at my reflection, floating up to the mirror.

 

I walked out to find injustice. Hopefully, a camera would be around, and they could see how _I_ got things done.

 

_The right way._

 

But the second I took a deep breath and stepped onto the black, damp streets, a pair of hands had placed a black blanket over my head, and somehow had thrown me into a big bag.

 

_Kidnapped, but why!?_

 

They seemed to have accidentally bagged Sparkles too.

 

_Did they not see her?_

 

I guess I was blocking her if they came from behind.

 

Sparkles squirmed at the tight space, chattering a little bit of some unknown language again. As I struggled, kicking and trying to rip the bag open near its top. Sparkles sniffed me, sensing my stress, and finally figured out we were in trouble. She patted the area around her, freaking out in her own way before turning into a ball of light, and zooming into my eyes as we were dragged away.

 

I awoke to find myself tied to a chair, my costume still on as Sparkles started making excited noises inside my mind.

 

_You’re awake!_

 

Smelling the residue of something over my face, I realized that the bag must have been soaked with-

 

"Chloroform. Nasty, isn't it?"

 

Behind me, another chair was pushed up against my own, back-to-back. In it, a tied-up man wore a long brown coat and nice dark brown hat. I looked back as shock filled me.

 

"How the-"

 

"Heck you get here? Good question. You seem like a hero I haven't heard of yet. What's your name, kid?" He asked. I could feel him trying to turn his head around to look over his shoulder, but he was too restrained to get a decent view of me.

 

Good, I didn’t want him to see me. This was humiliating and terrifying. Not a good way to get your name or ideals out there. "Umm…"

 

"What? You haven't even got a name yet or something? Wow, that's lame. Almost as lame as my mother's pet Chihuahua. Nasty little bother. Always wanted to get in between everyone’s business! Not that I ever cared, but it would make my father furious!"

 

The man kept rambling on, his black curly and scruffy hair made him out to be unkempt, but he seemed well off, based on his clothes.

 

He definitely reminded me of old noirs, but with some kind of modern twist. "It's…” I hesitated, hadn’t really thought about a name yet, but it made sense. Did I really want him knowing my name? He was just as stuck as I was. If I could somehow help us both out, maybe it would turn up in a newspaper somewhere. “Colors." I finally stated. What a weird name, it came from right off the top of my head.

 

"Say what? Colors? What, like The Rainbow or something? Ha! That's hysterical. What'cha gonna do? Blind me with strobe lights? What? You also got a sidekick who's Mr. Leprechaun? Do you send him to kick people in the shin when they make fun of your pet unicorn? Oh yeah, you're gonna be quite helpful to the government." He swung his head around, insulting me at every turn.

 

“If you weren't tied up behind me, I would kick you myself instead of sending the Leprechaun.”

 

He chortled.

 

"I can still help!" I spat out, not wanting to deal with a guy like this right now. "But first, tell me why you're here! And where we are!"

 

_As if I wanted to help the corrupted government, anyway…_

 

"Girl, you do not know how to ask the proper questions _in_ the proper order." He started, and I really wanted to be rid of him now, growling slightly under my breath. "Did you just… you did _not_ just growl at me, sweetheart. I'll call your mother. But not your father, heaven forbid if your _father_ ever found out you were posin' as _'_ Colors! The Deadly Rainbow!' out on these streets." He spoke like someone who was used to these kinds of scenarios, still able to throw in a smart aleck quip even in this dire situation. Who did he think he was?

 

"Fine. Who are you?"

 

"Ah, a good starter. The names Detective Coop. Go on, ask me another one. Like, _what's_ _your job_!?" He wiggled his head around and blurted out the last statement. His sarcasm made me stifle a huff. He didn't seem that bad, but he _was_ insulting me.

 

"Oh sweet Lorraine, can we please just get to the finer details?"

 

"Good point, why don't you take over from here?"

 

"’Be glad too. You workin' for a shady underground boss?"

 

I gulped.

 

"Thought so... Bet you're posin' as a pretty little heroine when really you're a crime starter bent on the _distraction_ part, right?"

 

"What?!"

 

"Dang, thought that was a good cover. Was about to give the man props, give evil where evil is due, am I right?"

 

He certainly didn't act like any crazy detective, violin playing sociopath I've ever known, but I think I hit money when I said noir.

 

"You know the boss?"

 

"I've been trailing his activity for weeks! But that son of-"

 

"Ahem!"

 

"What? You’re like… what… twelve?" he tried to look.

 

"Much older than that."

 

"Well, excuse me. I don't ask ladies their age. What's wrong with cussing?"

 

"Just don't."

 

"Innocent ears, eh? Whatever, you'll learn. Anyways, where was I… oh yeah. They finally snuffed me out after I tried to intervene with a bomb exchange over by Port Royel."

 

I remembered Port Royel, an old shipping dock for fish boats.

 

"Isn't that for ships with fish on them..?"

 

"Ha! That's what the crime operatives want you to think. The thing is, not all the packages… now get this… are _bad_." The sound of his voice was like a verbal wink. "Smart man, smart man. He keeps a low profile, hard to catch him in the act when most of his deliveries are legal. Some deliver flowers or medicines to grandma." He sighed, "I miss my grandma.” He had jumped off track again, but quickly recovered. “Others just so happen to be trafficking illegal drugs and stolen goods. Like elite weaponry and whatnot.”

 

"Okay, but what do they want with me!?"

 

"I don't know, sweetheart, you tell me." He looked away before we both heard a door open and slam. I could hear some footsteps coming our way…

 

"Alright, love. Now here's the ticket out of here… don't talk, and whatever you do, let me answer the questions." In a matter of moments, his demeanor changed. It was just like the boss, he put on an act, using an accent I was familiar with to get me to relax and tell him more information. There are too many good actors in Koleroy.

 

But, was it really all a ruse to get information, or to help me relax? Was he just putting on a face for our captors by shifting into detective mode? I didn’t know him, but I silently hoped he wasn’t manipulating me.

 

_I get fooled by people too easily._

 

_I really should second guess first impressions._

 

"Mr. Coop…" a fashionably dressed man came in, and taking off his white gloves and black top hat.

 

"Ello, gov." Coop replied. I tried to turn in my chair, but it was no use, I couldn’t see anything happening behind me.

 

"Such unsophisticated language. Tsk, tsk. Who raised you? A maid?"

 

"No, your mother. Hahehehe!" A man smacked him with something hard, maybe a brick? "Ooh… that hurt, sweetie. I'll be better next time, I promise." He acted like he was sucking up to his wife. I held in some nervous laughter. I began to understand that the act wasn’t just for me.

 

"What dirt do you have against our man, Coop? And speak up will you? You're on record…" The man must have been talking about a recording system. I knew the boss had that, but here?

 

"Oh, I'll try and sound muscular."

 

I quickly noticed that one of the thugs came into view as he side-stepped Coop’s chair. I noticed his socks had some green on them, and slowly stared up at him.

 

He wasn't looking at me.

 

_Good._

 

I looked forward, out of the corner of my eye I stripped away the green from his socks. Turning it into a mist of light, I slowly moved it over and into my hand. I absorbed it; something to hold onto later…

 

"Alright… Listen, Coop. You saw something. Something the police are actually _considering_ to believe you on. What is it?"

 

"Uh... well, I showed them your mother's trousers and they just couldn't believe that. So, I'm sure what you're talking about-"

 

Another large object swung across his face as I flinched from behind, he spat to the side of me.

 

_Red._

 

_Blood._

 

Disgusted, I tried to absorb that color too, but felt gross while doing so.

 

I now had red and green in my hands. Squishing them together, I made a more solid, brown, color and started to fashion it into an object.

 

_A knife._

 

"You're not being very helpful, Mr. Coop."

 

"I never was..."

 

The man interrogating circled the chair, getting down and personal with him. I heard him whispering a shouted threat in his ear as I tried to focus on bending the light into a knife. I tested the brown blade’s edge on my finger and, when I felt it was sharp enough, I began to cut into the rope between me and Coop, trying not to draw any attention.

 

"I'll have you _hanged_ for suggesting such a thing!" Spat out Coop, not having his usual humor in his words anymore.

 

"I'm just saying..." the man moved away, hands up as if he was guilty. Some sweat trickled down the side of my head, so glad he didn't see me cutting the rope. I tried letting out small, quiet and shaky breaths. It was my attempt to remain calm while the focus wasn’t directed to me.

 

_Yet._

 

"That's my little girl we’re talking about, Stan. I'll have you murdered!" He shook wildly in the chair as I felt my grip on the knife grow looser and looser with each shake before it fell from my hands. I mouthed, ‘No’ and quickly shut my eyes. The knife burst into color, scattering away like dust particles, splitting back into red and green. I had the colors slither on the ground, moving out of sight.

 

The man abruptly placed a hand on the backrest of Coop’s chair, jostling me out of my concentration of the colors for a moment. "Come off your high and docile cloud, Coop. What was the evidence?!"

 

Coop spit in his face.

 

I saw the man nearest to me give him a napkin, and could hear the man I assumed was called Stan wipe his face. I heard the chair creak and looked to the side of my shoulder, seeing the fingers of his hand retreating as he leaned away.

 

"Make his left side paralyzed," Stan said to the man, who once had green socks, as he took the brick. So I was right, he did have something. I watched him reel it back, seeing his toned arm ready to hit Detective Coop again.

 

            _You got the first blow, but not the second!_

 

I unleashed the green and red colors, winding them up his leg, trailing all the way to his throat. He felt nothing of the slow creeping colors, even when they were bound around his neck.

 

_I squeezed my hand._

 

He dropped the brick, instantly choking as he grasped at the light but was unable to hold it. His last resort was to try and reach out for help.

 

"What on earth is that?!" Stan backed away from him.

 

"Is that...?" Coop looked over at me and I smiled.

 

"Don't call me ‘The Rainbow.’” I readied the red and green light. “Because you don't want to taste this!" I made the light plunge down his throat. Sparkles had the light travel down to his arm, forcing him to grab the rope. I saw his left hand turn red and his right arm turn fully green since I had more of that color, possessing and moving those parts like a marionette. I controlled him into untying the rope quickly off of us. The rope must have injured him because he cried out in pain, but Sparkles had him race after Stan and apparently some other men who were standing by the door.

 

"Help! I can't- I can't- control… it!" The man ran off down the corridor, clearly not choking anymore...

 

"Woah, well color me impressed." Coop dusted off his coat, shaking the loose ropes away. With the back of his wrist, he wiped the blood off his cheek.

 

I twiddled my fingers and turned him completely purple.

 

He freaked out a moment and checked himself over, taking in the abnormality before looking back to me. "You think this is funny? Lavender is _clearly_ a summer color." I laughed my head off, letting the nervous tension go.

 

"Where to, Mr. Detective?"

 

"Out. That's where." He looked around, rubbing his hands together and coming over to me. "Right, right, right. Well… first." He grabbed the chairs, barricading the door. "That way." He then pointed with both hands in the other direction where another door was.

 

I followed.

 

"Dang, it's dark in here."

 

I shined a lime green light.

 

Coop looked back, and then at me. "Didn't you just...?"

 

"I recalled the colors, they might be after us now." I said, worried.

 

He did a double-take, "Great…" and ran faster, "Here we go!" he pointed to a sewer drain up-top.

 

"Where are we? In the sewers?" I asked.

 

"Well, we've hit some kind of rock bottom," he teased, placing one hand over the other with palms up and bending his knees. "Come on, what are you waiting for? A sign?"

 

I got the picture, putting my foot on his hands and letting him hoist me up to the manhole cover. I un-twisted it and peeked out. I heard the voice of the boss and… was that Brutus?

 

"You have her, then?"

 

"Yes…"

 

"Good. I want to know what she has _obtained._ Could be quite valuable to my business…"

 

From below me, I heard Coop calling up with a shouted whisper.

 

"Hey, kid! What's the hold up? You’re not exactly lightweight down here, ya know! Ugh, I think I smell rats… I hate rats… they remind me of that Chihuahua. I really hated that thing." He swung his head again. Clearly, he wasn't much of a dog lover.

 

"Shhh! It's the boss!" I called down, trying to quiet him.

 

Coop looked up, "Canid?" He looked questioningly at me. "KA7, Canid?"

 

I nodded, though, the boss didn't like it when people knew his identity. He would rather go by 'Boss' and only a select few ever called him by name. I only knew his real name because when I first started working, I overheard a business associate use it to wish him good luck. He was immediately slapped upside the head as the boss said, "Wha? You want the FBI in 'ere or something? Get outta here, you dime a dozen, you!"

 

"Ho-…ho!" I tried to stay balanced as Coop’s whole body trembled in what appeared to be excitement. The lid jostled around in my grip as I swayed back and forth in Coop’s shaking hands.

 

"Of all my years trackin' that looney down, I've never once seen his face. Not even _a picture!_ "

 

I instinctively used my arms to counter the movements, attempting to keep it from hitting the ground.

 

"Coop! Stop! They'll-!" I couldn't hear the conversation, but once I heard the metal clank against the ground, I saw eyes shift toward me. I knew then that we were in some _special_ kind of trouble…

 

Dropping the manhole cover and purposefully falling, I landed in Coop's sturdy arms bridal style. "Run." I said in a high pitched, terrified voice.

 

He dropped my legs down and we both started racing down the corridor.

 

"We need to get out, _now_!" Coop warned as if I didn't _already_ know that.

 

"You said it!" I said, but I suddenly stopped, remembering something. I froze in place as I thought about it.

 

"What are you doing!? Freezing like a cat caught in the act!" Coop said, turning around, frantically moving his arms to get me to move.

 

"I can… I think I can fly us out of here," my eyebrows furrowed, I wasn't sure if I could.

 

"Excusez-moi?" Coop looked back at me like I was insane. "You can flippity fly us to never never land,” I could tell he didn’t have enough faith and trust for that. “Or is your brain already lost there?" he leaned his body down to my level, looking up at me with a tilt of his head. After I didn’t say anything, he got back up and turned around, flopping his arms down in disbelief. "Wha…Well..." he scratched his head. "If my little angel believes in the muffin man, I'll believe in The Rainbow." We then heard footsteps and shouting. "Tangy dang oranges, you better step on your magic carpet and get with the bippity boppity boo junk here, girl!" He got behind me, a hand on my waist and holding his hat. "And hurry!"

 

I focused, "Okay… okay…" I closed my eyes to breathe but I realized Sparkles couldn't help me if she couldn't see the light around me. I could feel it but I couldn't control it without visually looking at it. At least, that's what it seemed like, I still wasn't sure how to really use this power that Coop called ‘magic’. I felt uneasy about what that one weakness could mean, if that really was the case, but I didn't bother thinking about it yet. I can counter-strategize about using powers in the dark or without my vision later. I reopened my eyes and held my hands out.

 

"They're coming!" Coop called out, terrified. "And you're not doing anything!"

 

"I know! Hang on!" I shouted back, my face looked like I was staring at a rather large puzzle. I needed color… I only had red and green that I recalled from that man, around me was nothing but black, grey, and a bronze brown.

 

"There they are!" A man shouted as a few more came rushing from behind him.

 

Coop exclaimed, with the biggest mouth a man could possibly have, " _They’re here_!"

 

I finally gave a push and created a little ribbon, not nearly as big as when Sparkles first flew into my eyes.

 

"Hold on!" I took off; it really did look like a magic carpet as the men all stopped in place, staring at us.

 

"Well, don't just gawk at it! Shoot them down!"

 

"Shoot!?" Coop was just as surprised as I was, "Kiiddd!" he looked all around at the men getting their guns out.

 

"I know! Don't rush me!" I used the green to glide on, having a thin stripe between my feet and Coop's. It was like balancing on a tightrope in those circus acts. Then I used the red and spread it out, making it a thin and stretchy shield so bullets couldn’t fly through it. They stopped inches from our face, either dropping to the ground or flung back at the people shooting below. It wasn’t fast enough to cause serious injury to them, but would definitely leave large welts.

 

I was just recalling what Sparkles had done that first night, and trying my best to mimic it with what little I had.

 

"Lily!" Brutus called to me, but I couldn't tell what it meant. Was he concerned? Or did he want to finish what he started? I didn't know if I could trust him anymore… but I _could_ trust someone now.

 

_Someone… who believed in me._

 

"Woah! Now that's power! Umm… but one question," Coop looked ahead casually before shouting, "The wall!"

 

_That's right…_

 

_The blasted ceiling…_

 

I wrapped the colors around us, "I sure hope this works!" I swung my arms enough to create a sphere around us, putting my whole body into it, finally completing the protective bubble.

 

"What the heck are you doing?" Coop looked completely stupefied like I was crazy.

 

"Prepare to be translucent!"

 

"What did you say!?" he put a hand to his chest then, calming down before saying, "I've already got a wife and a kid, I don't need that kind of big change." He shook his head.

 

"No! Light can bend! If I can make us light, what would be stopping us?" I saw a glass bottle and immediately bent myself forward. The action turned me and Coop’s bubble into a ray of light that allowed us to move through the solid object and be reflected out a storm drain. Coming up and onto the streets of downtown, near a park I had never seen before, Coop and I turned back into our physical forms. I fell to my knees as Coop stumbled a bit, his head to the sky in awe and his arms tensed straight down at his sides. He stammered to the right at an angle and fell down.

 

He groaned, lifting his head up, "Uuuh… note to self, if you're asked to get dirt on a top crime dog, just say…" he raised a finger, and looked like he was drunk. "Nope," he shook his head and fell back to the ground.

 

"C-Coop? You… you okay?" I asked, crawling over to him. I was the one that did all the work! Why is he tried!?

 

"I think… I might I be sick." He groaned, lifting his butt up to try and get his legs to move him up from the ground. "Nnnnnope." He placed it back down, we both weren’t adjusting well to our molecular structure being broken down and reformed. "No side effects, right?"

 

"Besides the light-headedness and weakness in all parts of your body? Nah, I'm not sensing too much after effects." I joked and collapsed near him.

 

"W-wa-wait," he leaned his head up again, "you mean… you don't… oh man." He swallowed some throw-up, and turned away before looking back to me, smacking his lips. "You don't know?"

 

"That was my first time using…” I puffed a breath out, “my powers." I was outwinded and tried to breathe normally again.

 

_Well, at least for this kind of job, anyway._

 

"Oh great... you could have reconfigured my organs and I wouldn't even know about it." He looked ahead. "I could sue!"

 

"You don't even know who I am." I rolled to my stomach.

 

"I'm a detective. I could find out," he whined out, sounding sick. "Ohh..." he placed his head, face first, back on the ground. “My stomach hurts…"

 

"And it's my fault… I accept that." I retorted with a smile, moving my head up to see him. His face turned to the side, his nose still squished on the ground as he started to laugh.

 

We both started to release the stress of the moment with laughter, when a few police cars hit the scene.

 

"Can I ask, if I may, what's so darn funny?" A policeman walked out, holding his belt and glaring at the two of us.

 

"We just had _light years_ of fun, sir! Only but a minute ago…" Coop teased as I laughed harder at his joke. We both staggered and bumped into each other like a bunch of loonies in the park, howling in tearful laughter.

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"No, no…" Coop got up, holding a finger to the cop. "Excuse this… Uffmph." He covered his mouth and ran with an unsteady step like he was going to fall forward at any minute. Racing to the nearest trash can, he stuck his head in and began barfing.

 

At that moment, we were both placed under arrest for suspected drinking. Once the test proved we weren't drunk or drugged, they started questioning us about who we were to each other.

 

"Hey, doll."

 

I looked to Coop.

 

He winked, "Bibbity."

 

I gave him a look with a wicked smile. "Now, now, Detective. Remember your stomach." I turned back to the policeman.

 

"…Bobbity!"

 

I immediately spun back to him and cried out, "Boo!"

 

The policemen were frozen, wide-eyed as they leapt out of their chairs. A bubble formed around me and Coop, then we were out and about on the streets again!

 

"Well, nice knowing ya, kid! Let's stay in touch, eh? You could really help my investigation." Coop walked me home but I wasn't going to let him spy out where I lived so easily.

 

"I'll be fine, Coop. Haha, watch that weak stomach. And yeah... maybe I'll see you around sometime. I'd love to meet your little girl." We fist-bumped, exploding our hands at the end with a _boom_. He seemed to enjoy the kidding around.

 

"You’re alright, kiddo. But seriously..." As he walked away, he put one hand in his long, brown leather duster and waved his finger at me stating, "Your parents must be worried sick about you. Tell them a handsome devil sent you homeward." He teased and winked.

 

He wasn't all bad... if he combed his hair, he might actually look attractive, to a grown woman that is. "Haha, yeah…" I started to turn around, for once I was sad I didn't have a family to go home too.

 

"Hey kid!"

 

I turned back around.

 

"On second thought… don't tell them that. That might creep them out even more." He smiled, nodding his head at his reasoning. "Tell them the government sent ya! Hahaha!" he teased, walking off again. "I'll interview ya later!"

 

"If you can find me!" I shouted a fainted whisper back.

 

"Somehow I will… I will…" his voice trailed off in the wind as I lost sight of him over the hilly street.

 

Turning to my home, but deciding to take a longer route, I began making sure that if he was looking, he’d be lost to where I was going. I looked back over my shoulder real quick just to check, and noticed his head pop out from over the hill.

 

"Go home, Coop!"

 

"Dratt! Then you find me! Station OO6, Windsdale! There's a detective agency! You find me, alright? Tomorrow!"

 

"Thursday!"

 

"Tomorroooowww!"

 

"Hump day!"

 

"Haha! Alright, Wednesday it is!" he scampered off a ways as I quickly stopped and turned around, hollering back.

 

"And Coop!"

 

He looked back, a wise-guy smile on his face.

 

"…I'm not with them." I stated, my face turning from my usual joking self to a now more genuine me. "I never really was…"

 

He just smiled a little wider, making me feel good about saying that. "Wednesday," he nodded, "I'll see you on Wednesday." And continued to walk off to give me some privacy. Now I knew I could travel home safely without feeling the paranoia of him stalking me for answers.

 

I finally got to go home.

 

Sparkles zoomed out of my eyes and took on her usual form as I plopped down on my bean bag, face first, exhausted.

 

"Oh man…" I took off my mask. "Nothing goes the way I want it too, does it Sparkles?" She shook her head and I laughed, too tried to burst out like at the park with Coop.

 

_Good ol' Coop._

 

_I could learn to respect that guy._

 

"I guess crime fighting the _proper_ way will have to wait." I swung my arm up to place my mask up on the key hook, having it flop down with my head back to the sweet embrace of my bean bag.

 

Sparkles dug herself in between the crook of my neck, yawning and cuddling up next to me.

 

"Hehe, night Sparkz." I nicknamed her.

 

_Oh great, I really can’t toss you out now, huh?_

 

_…Shoot!_

 

My head shot up.

 

" _My homework!"_


	5. The Mystery Ends

Colors

Ch. 5

The Mystery Ends

By: Cutegirlmayra1 (So, While my dad is working on editing-up my first drafts, I'll start writing the next ones. Apparently, my older brother is also writing a book, he's on ch.18 -; oh, heh, no pressure, of course. :I but now all my dad's doing is working on HIS story! D not fair! Anyway, here's the next chapter. I have a list of the events that are going to happen, but I'm probably gonna separate it to two (or more) chapters, SINCE IT'S A LOT OF FREAKIN' STUFF lol, enjoy~)

I dashed down the hallway, looking behind me as my homework assignment fluttered with the wind's speed that rushed by my heavily breathing body.

"CORELLLLEE!" Maril screamed, rushing along after me. I felt like Shaggy, without my Scoopy Doo, running for my life from the terrible monster behind me.

"I'm sorry!" I screamed back, taking double looks behind me to try to rapidly judge the distance between us, and just how far I needed to go to get to class on time. I hadn't turned a lot of my assignments in since the events of me deciding to do the whole 'hero' act, and now? I was paying the price….

My grades we're slipping, along with my air supply.

"You're getting more than detention when I'm done with you!" Maril screamed, her ponytails that she was wearing today looked like her head was a tricycle and those we're its handle ribbons. Her speed equaled one ridding down a mountain side, the poor little three year old screaming her head off, and that's when my guardian angel stepped out from the corner.

Miss Scarlet didn't look up to notice me at first, only when Maril screamed my last name again did her head fling up, only to have her glasses fall as if they, itself, were in shock. Matching Miss Scarlet's surprised look, I quickly dodged her and her inquiring question.

"W-what's going on?!" She asked, turning, or rather spinning, to see me bolting off.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I gotta go!" I turned around, just long enough to slightly run sideways, holding out my hands to try and explain myself but I didn't have time. The bell was about to ring, and this homework assignment had some extra credit on it that I couldn't afford to lose. "I promise it's important!" I shouted back, blazing through the hallway with the last feat of strength left in me to pull it off. I almost slid past the door, but was able to grapple my hand to the door frame's rim and opened the door.

RING RING! DONG DONG! RING!

The dumb morning bell rang, just as I caught my breath enough to just face plant myself on my desk. The teacher walked in not a moment later and asked us if we did the homework. My arm shot up, and that was my day at school.

Coming home, I was exhausted. Putting on my 'Colors' outfit, I decided not to stay up too late on this run.

I wanted to get more and more experience. I needed to learn this craft. The craft… of being a hero!

Sparkles shook her rainbowic tail, wanting to come along. "Kiki, Abu?" she spoke randomly.

"What? Try using your words." I was slipping my hands through their respective slots for the body suit. "Remember? Hi, what's up? Bad, Good, I don't like that, I do like that. Come on, we spent all of yesterday going over words for you to use." I was so fed up with trying to teach this alien ANYTHING! All she wanted was to sprinkle my can of sparkly glitter all over my home. I looked like I lived in a glittering cave of some fabulous hobo.

She even managed to figure out that the air vent could spread her sparkling wonder everywhere at once! So I've been sucking in glitter for the past few days…

"..Uh… A-..hm… I's…I's Gwou tu?" She tried to speak English, but I think I could make it out a bit.

"You want to go, too?" I cocked my eyebrow at her, now having my left leg raised, trying to get my shoes on as half my face was hidden by one arm that was helping the other arm get these blasted shoes on correctly. "Sparkles, you have to go. I can't do anything without you!" I bluntly stated. Really, Sparkles? Really..?

Sparkles tilted her head, making a cute sound of apparent understanding that she had no idea of the situation or relationship we had going on here.

I sighed and face palmed, walking over and kneeling down to her level, even though she was sitting happily on my small table, which had empty squares in the middle where glass would of gone I'll bet. "You." I pointed to her, and she leaned back and away from my finger a bit. "Give me the powers." I pointed to myself, and she nodded as she leaned forward. "And I…" I pointed again to myself, as she pointed to me with both paws, trying hard to figure it out. "Keep you fed and happy." I pointed back to her, and she cutely straightened up and pointed inward to herself as well, puffing up her chest fur as she did so.

"Understand?"

She did a wide, open smile…. And then shook her head to reveal she didn't get a word I was talking about.

".. This language barrier thing is really killing this relationship…" I stated, and rolled my eyes. "Come on buddy, up, up?" I pointed to my eyes. "Come on. Up, up."

She looked at me with curious eyes, then her face lit up with understanding, finally... "Eup, eup!" I think that was her word for giving me powers, but I didn't know what it meant…

"Y-yeah. Up, up." It was the closest thing I could think of to a word that made sense to that. Since she was able to kinda connect to my head more with every time that we combined, she's been trying to say more words that are making since to me. That mind link or whatever thing is kinda crazy, but at least she's learning how to communicate to me, right?

She flew in my eyes and my hair shined a brighter yellow, much more blonde now. My eyes shone a bright white as her tail waved beneath the irises of my eyes, gently in the white space as I could feel the power of light all around me.

Even with it being a bit dark in this run down old joint, I could still feel it…

I walked out of my house, hearing Miss Guinevere start yapping about my 'dog' again.

"How many times do I have to tell you!" Her eyes met mine and I froze, I was in Colors' outfit! What would she think!?

We both stared a second at each other, and she judged me. Pretty… hard…

"Are you one of them super-wannabes?" she asked, referring to the kids who dress up like supers and act like them even when their normal people, which weren't taken by society too well.

"No ma'am…" I stated, and played it off. "I've never seen you in my life."

She gave me a hard look, as I put some of my hair in front of myself, it was only then that I realized how bright and glowing yellow my hair was. I hadn't realized that Sparkles' power also changed a bit of my looks…

"Hmph… I knew a man who was a super once…" She stated, and I felt obliged to look at her.

She stood straight up, even though she was usually slouching over her windowsill. I always figured that was because of her old age, but now I can see it was just to holler down at me. Her curly, short white hair and flower printed dress made her the image of a perfectly sweet grandmother, when I knew that she was usually a quiet old lady who stuck to herself, but seemed to really want company.

Placing her hands on her hips, she stated, "I loved a man who would come and sing me songs a lot… always said he had to leave to 'work' everyday or he'd stay here forever and just serenade me till the crack of dawn." She seemed to smile and blush, giggling a bit at her memory. Could this be the man I saw so many times, coming and going from her house?

"But…" she froze, her eyes shifting as she looked out to my building… I could obviously tell her eyes we're far into the past, witnessing something very different from the dark reddish browns of my old abandoned and shut down hotel suite. "I was indifferently watching the news, when a hero by the name of 'Great Calm' was destroyed by his nemesis 'King Rock'. Great Calm had the power to control energy from within himself… an energy… that could soothe the soul or rock the foundations of the earth and sea." She clutched her chest. "After that… Rob didn't come around any more… I tried to call him, to find him, and that's when I realized… I didn't really know Rob Teller… and to be honest? I knew where he was…" I didn't like this story, it wasn't ending well, and it seemed too unfair… "Don't be a hero, kid." She then said, looking down at me, her eyes starting to turn red with fresh tears from long ago springing back to life on her face. She still clutched her flower printed dress near her chest, "Don't be a villain either…" with that, she slammed the window as she shut it, a strict and hard to miss message of how she felt about me in this get up, and what it entailed… I felt so bad for her. The love of her life, pulled from underneath her, and she didn't even mourn his death when she heard it… because she didn't know it was him. It was just unfair… but I had to… try and be something besides a hero and a villain! I wanted to be… the ultimate right.

The ultimate… Light!

A couple of boys we're wondering the streets, not very old to my eyes. Two African American children, running along the wet and dark paved sidewalks of the back alley part of town… They ran and seemed to be just enjoying, or rather trying to enjoy, the walk as they jumped from the curb up and down, till reaching a fruit seller's stand. The fat old man with his stained apron that looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks, that resembled his long and hairy beard too, was back in his inner shop, cutting some beef it looked like. He must have sold food in general, as the boys walked slowly, but little quick steps, and shifting eyes from him and from the food, over to his stand.

"Don't do it, now. Ya here?" The older brother spoke up, stopping a bit away from the stand. His little brother, looking no more than 4 or 5, looked back to him. "Ma says you can't touch, and you shouldn't stare."

The boy looked at the cart, studying the fruit that was displayed with no glass… no barrier of any kind. He could reach his hand up, just inches away, and take one.

The boys looked malnourished, having old basketball t-shirts on and running shoes with no socks. Their pants differed slightly in that one was muddy and the other was just ripped a little on one side. "Come on, Phoebus." His older brother, not daring to go closer to the temptation, tried to beckon his little brother back to his side, moving his arms to try and get him to come. He looked about 8 or 9, but not a day behind 10, if at most.

"…." I stood silent, having flown up to a rooftop looking over the scene. It was a really cloudy day, so the whole atmosphere felt dark and gloomy after a moment's rainfall not even an hour ago. Holding on to a chimney, I peeked my head out at the boys, watching to see what innocent boys would do if they we're really hungry.

Surprisingly, the boy reached out for the fruit, but stopped himself. Sighing in disappointment, he put his hands together, and began mumbling a prayer.

"..Phoebus, God don't-" But suddenly, a beautiful ribbon of all kinds of colors stretching from the rainbow and all over the seeable spectrum of light, came down from the murky greenish blue, gray, and black of the sky, and descended towards the boys.

"My God..." The oldest looked up, saying these words in praise, not using his holy name in vain. As wonder filled his eyes when the small ribbon magically wrapped around the apple the little boy had just prayed about receiving, and gently lifted it from the cart.

The food man grunted behind them, as the boy's jolted. Their gapping mouths shut for an instance, as they froze in fear at him turning around and seeing this miracle. The ribbon even faltered slightly, but the food man just sneezed, wiped his nose with his arm, and went back to cutting. The ribbon continued on, slowly moving the apple, which it gave a brilliant red color too, into the little boy's hand.

"God bless this food, my family, and my ma." The little boy, Phoebus, thanked the lord and then looked up from his prayer after taking the apple, seeing the ribbon stop to almost hear his words. It did a light ripple, and seemed to kiss the boy on the forehead, as the little boy giggled and wiped it off, as it flew off and back into my hand.

"Ma's not gonna believe this!" The older brother exclaimed, and grabbed his brother hands. "Now, you don't tell nobody about this, okay? We just tell ma and pa, alright?" the boy hurried his younger brother along behind him, yanking him almost to pick up his feet and run. The little boy just kept looking back, trying to find the colorful hand of God again…

I smiled, and once the boys were gone, flew down on my ribbon, this time larger, since I had collected the color from some playground a while away, near the park where me and Coop had been arrested at.

Sighing in a job well done, I placed some money on the food stand, as the food seller came out, grunting at my coins and looking sternly up at me. "What'll it be?" He stated, his voice as grumbly as a goblin, but I only just smiled weakly and shook my hand in a wave like motion. "Just… sending some good cheer."

"What is this? Christmas? You think I'm running a charity here?" He clicked his knifes together, the same that had just sliced that beef in the blurry window of his shop.

"Um, no, I-"

"Gggeet out." He motioned a long swoop of his hand, obviously, he didn't want to deal with some 'super' who was just giving away money. "Hmph. I'll keep the change!" he rudely spat out, and picked up the money.

The Apple was only a buck twenty five, he didn't have to get all snooty about it! 'Whatever…' I thought to myself, and flew off.

That's when I heard cop cars racing down the street, and decided it best to follow them. Way… way out into a part of the downtown city I never usually ventured too… and for good reasons too.

Down the avenue, where most of the lollygags of the world hang out at, with big billboards and lights everywhere an owl could turn his head too. We called it, Miniwood, the place where dreams go to die and rest. In Miniwood, there seemed to be a hostage crisis. I looked down and landed on a billboard with big neon yellow lights, spelling out some kind of hair product with a pretty woman's face on it with bright red lipstick and a green product in her hands. That woman's face looked too skinny to be real, and being this close to the sign, I noticed a photoshop error but ignored it to look at the scene just up ahead.

The casino lit up in an instant, well, more than it was already with red and orange balls of light spinning around its name. A crazy looking man, dressed all in black, had another man, looking to be a waiter, in his grasp.

"We have you surrounded." The megaphone let out a massive sound, even from way over where I was. I plugged my ears; this place was so loud compared to my small alley way streets down in Koleroy. But this place was just blasting with police car sirens, motorcycles, women giggled or shrieking in delight or shock, and dings from games being played all over. I heard a glass break and looked down to see a drunken man just fall flat on the sidewalk. In that instant, I wondered how a world with so many heroes… could be this corrupted.

"Let the man go." Stated the megaphone again, admitting the same loud sound as last time. How could I hear it from way over here? Was this another wave length of light? Couldn't be! Sound isn't on the 'LIGHT' spectrum! So what on earth..? Maybe it was just loud. I mean, it had to be, if the police we're working in a city like this. I've got to stop thinking everything has something to do with my powers if it's out of the ordinary…

"Give me my money back!" the man screamed, crying too it seemed.

Not this again… not the crying…

"Give us the man." The microphone demanded again.

"GIVE ME MY MONEY!"

I flew down and made a wall in front of the police men, having some fainted gasps leak out of some of the policemen and on-watchers mouths. "Hold on! Leave this to me!" I tried to muster up my best 'confident and convincing hero voice' apparently, it worked. The policemen, shining their bright and blinding, huge and intimidating, lights in my direction.

"You have a minute." I couldn't see the man with the microphone, but I could hear the seriousness in his voice. I guess that was protocol. I read about this once in 'Social Awareness' class. Supers' have different laws compared to normal people. I think this one falls along the lines of 'Hero Aid Law' where the justice must give an amounted time, and address this amounted time, to a hero to solve the problem of law and order at hand. If he can't do it in the amounted time, the law will take over, and the hero must now act in the shadow of the law, and not on his own accord. Obviously, I was trying to lead a new, revolutionary idea about being a hero out into the world. In order to do that, I had to have time to talk with this poor sap who was crying up a river. I took a deep breath, and nodded. The time was ticking, and I needed this moment! Cameras would be arriving soon, I had to get a name in order to get an audience to hear my case. A cause... that would shake the world.

"What's your name?" I called out, approaching carefully after turning around to face the man with the poor skinny waiter in his arms, shaking in fear at the gun in the man's hands, pointed at his head.

"Sid." The man said, and then glared, "But what's a name in this big, ol'world? Not like you'd really tell me yours! But I got nothing to lose? So why not!" he seemed hysterical, he smiled and clinched his teeth, speaking in soft shouts, and having his eyes wide with wild crazy intents.

"I'm Colors, and you're right. It's not my real name." I stated, and he looked a little mad. "Why do you have nothing to lose?"

"I lost it all! I've got to get it back!" he held his gun up to the man more forcefully now.

"Oh, please don't!" the man cried out, about to cry too in fear and horror of being killed.

I held my hands out, worried for the innocent as I shifted my eyes from him and then to the man. "Sid…I know we're not buddies, but let's talk." I stated, speaking a bit seriously but trying to keep it light enough to where he wouldn't be offended or think I'm speaking on a higher level than him. "Why do you want it back?"

"PFFT, WHY WOULDN'T I WANT MY MONEY BACK!?" he pushed the man up, who was falling to his knees, due to shaking so badly from the situation.

I could hear cameramen commentating behind me, and growled slightly. How was I suppose to focus enough to get this guy to tell me what's wrong?

"40 seconds." The microphone spoke up.

"Okay, okay, look!" I stated, still approaching slowly, my steps wobbling to the right and left in a quick step like fashion, the waiter wasn't the only one who thought his life was at stake…

What am I even doing..?

"Sid, may I call ya Sid?"

"No. No, you can't."

"Look, I can tell you're just trying to stall me out of time till the police take over. And at that point, you're case won't be heard, unless with A LOT of biases opinions. So, let's be frank here. You want the money cause you want the money?"

"20 seconds."

"None of you're business, punk!"

"Listen to me!"

"15 seconds."

"I just need it, okay?"

"Okay, great, that's wonderful. So does the rest of the world, but why do you, particularly, need it?"

"Are you even a super?"

"Stop stalling and tell me!"

"10."

"I think you're bluffing."

"GOSH DANG IT, SID! I'M TRYING TO SAVE YOU'RE LIFE! They're planning on shooting you!"

"9."

"Then I'll use him." He flung the young waiter out in front of him.

"And you don't think their might be police behind you in the casino?"

He turned around, and started shooting his gun behind him.

"NOO!"

"8!"

"It's for my daughter, alright!?"

"..What?"

"7!" the microphone got louder. The police hadn't seen any face punching, and started doubting my abilities.

"My daughter's weddings coming up. I was suppose to give the money to her, alright!?"

"…And you wasted it?"

"I DIDN'T WASTE IT!" he aimed the gun out in front at me, making the waiter man thank the heavens as the man now just had an arm around him, keeping him there.

"Then what happened?!" I shouted out, more questioningly and to get over the crowd's shocked cries at his change of direction in his projectile.

"…My baby girl deserved more from her dead-beat dad… ya know?" his face grew softer, and for a moment, I had found my gray.

"We're down to 5, kid! Get out of the way!"

I still have time…

"Sid, throw the gun away and I'll give your daughter fireworks!" I flung my hands up, and he shook the gun, following my actions and ready to fire if needs be.

"What are you talking about, Color?"

"It's Colors, and watch!"

"Your times up, kid! Get out of the way!" the policemen started to organize themselves into a offensive position, getting guns ready behind open doors if needs be.

"Just…Just…!" I couldn't help it, I covered a huge blanket of light, similar to aurora borealis, over the policemen, which had them immobilized since their bullets couldn't shoot through and their cars couldn't move. Great… now I was breaking the law! We're back to black…

Sid saw me cover the police, and slowly lowered his gun down. His eyes in wide eyed confusion. "Hey... ain't you on their side?"

"I'm fighting for them, yes." I stated, turning back to him. "But I'm trying to save YOU." the impact of that sentence seemed to hit him hard, as he fell to his knees, balling his eyes out. His hostage was free to go, and scampered away, charging and pushing himself into the crowd. "Isn't that what you want for you're daughter? Save her from this world of cruelty and hardships? You want to get her that money so she can live in luxury and not how you grew up? In this world of…of madness?!" I waited for his reply, but he was to taken over to speak for a moment.

"…How… how can some … hero… understand the little guy, eh? Most of all yous get riches from the mayor or whatever. What do you know!?" He got up, holding the gun up to me again.

"Look... Sid, look at these fireworks… Think of what you're daughter really wants." I spread my arms out and started to make shapes and colors in the sky. Absorbing the lights all around me, creating darkness or a blackout for a moment as I shot all the color up and created blast of colors. The colors formed into shapes of a man's figure running after a little girl's small figure. Me and my dad. Then there was a swing, where the dad pushed the girl, shining with gold, purple, and pink as the dad was a more blue, green, and red. Every time the father figure pushed the little girl, a firework like effect would blast in the sky, and when the girl kicked at the end of the swing, her feet let out a shimmer of light that created a ribbon that faded as she swung back to her dad's arms. Dots of light, flowers, bells, and then the scene changed to the wedding, where I made the two figures, now the little girl being older, holding her father in a tight embrace.

"She wants you, Sid. Not money. But you. Her father."

Sid looked up at the beautiful lights display, as I had the picture stream down and fall around him, he looked down, sobbing, and tried to gently touch the light. I allowed it, and he felt the warmth of the warm colors and the cold of the cooler colors in the wheel of lights. I removed my blanket over the policemen, who started to run out after me, holding up giant see-through shields as they we're going to push me to the ground. I flew up, refusing arrest, another bad thing….

Sid was taken hold of as the Waiter was already fleeing, still pushing through the huge crowd that had formed around the casino, before the reporters ended up 'detaining' him with questions. "It was the Colors girl! She saved my life!"

I turned to hear my name, as Sid then called to me, "Hey, Super!"

I looked back, thinking he might be mad at me when he said…

"…You're alright… It's nice to know someone's on the same level as the underdog. I'm still going to jail but-"

The policeman carrying him away cut him off, hitting him in the gut. "Stay silent, everything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law!"

"Urk… GOOD! Then let the people know, that Colors? She saves the underdog!" The reporters fled to the scene, hearing a juicy quote as cameras flicked lights to capture the moment everywhere. "That's right, that's right! Colors saves the underdog! Yeah!"

"No ones saving you! You're still going to-"

"Jail!?" The policemen tried to push his head into the car, but he kept struggling, wanting to speak more. "Yeah, alright, I'll go. I don't want too, but I will. Cause for once, a Super didn't punch me down to the ground like I was inferior to them! Get out of my face, will ya? I'm a human being!" his face was shoved in the car by the policeman's hand, as he abruptly shut the door and turned to the reporters, hands up.

"Alright, alright. Nothing to see here, folks."

Nothing to see? Then there must be a lot to hear…

I smiled, striking a bit of a pose with my hands on my hips, liking the praise that I did my job EXACTLY as I wanted it to be done. When suddenly…

"Hey Colors? Can you say anything on this incident?" A reporter directly spoke upward, holding a microphone up as high as she could to get to me, the camera man behind her. She was squished between the crowd of reporters who we're on the scene to get to me, and I just nervously laughed. Flying over to the police car Sid was in, I could see him look up from his window at me, as I tried to strike a pose. However… in the excitement of things, I ended up just doing strange movements with my hands… Holding the pose for a moment before deciding it wasn't 'right' or 'me' enough and trying another one. People stared, the murmuring and questions ended as they all stared in silence.

Feeling the awkwardness, I just threw my hands out in a 'whatever' kind of way, and stated, "I'm only here to bring, the right kind, of justice to the world. Thank you." I took off then, when more people started asking me questions as I raced off on my colored ribbon.

"What's this, 'right kind of justice' you speak of?" "Colors! Why not The Rainbow?" "Where will you go next?!"

I finally got away, and sighed, collapsing on a metal pillar that looked to be a radio stations and released the color back into the surroundings. I watched as the color drained from my being and was moved like beautiful waves of color back to there original destinations. I then X-rayed myself to make sure this pain I was feeling wasn't my bones or nothing. Good, I was intact, I mean… I thought I would be but… just in case.

I still wasn't quite sure how light and these powers worked… I could probably do a lot of things, but I just didn't know enough about the light spectrum or its uses to really make much use of it. All I knew… was what I did. I suppose I should look into more in the future…

"Well, well, well! Look's whose being a little hero, eh!? Thought you said you weren't being one?"

A cold shiver came down my spine.

"Miss me?"

Out of the darkness of the night, I saw a shadow'd figure materialize into view.

"Shade…" I breathed out.

The wind blew silently, but the effects of it were still evident, as his long cloak blew in the wind, his hands in his pockets.

"I was wondering when you'd make a choice."

"I haven't made a choice." I clenched my teeth. Really? Right now!? Here!? How'd he find me..?

Oh yeah, the publicity.

I rolled my eyes.

There's always something wrong with being in the lime-light, like at this moment, a super creepy bad guy just waltzed up out of nowhere to greet me…

"I would of thought I'd run into you again… and this time… you'd hear my.." he lifted his hands out of his pockets. "Proposition…"

"Look, I don't want anything to do with ANYONE!" I flat out stated, swiping my hand out to make a point. "Just leave me alone!"

He laughed a weird chuckle, before putting his hands down. "You see, I just can't do that." He snapped his fingers, and darkness engulfed the whole radio tower. All but his brilliantly glowing eyes…

Sharp… piercing into me, I almost couldn't move for a moment.

They inspired something different from fear in me… and I couldn't tell what it was, but I couldn't look away…

With the sunglasses on the first time we met, I never noticed that pair of crimson eyes were really his own!

He walked closer up to me. "I'm afraid the world you seek… the right kind of justice you speak of can't be found in this world…"

I literally was trying to will myself to move, but couldn't…

What was this!? Why couldn't I move?!

He reached out a hand to me, and I flinched at his touch to my cheek.

He smirked, "can only be found in my world."

"Your world?" I almost scowled out, leaning my head back before he decided to reach back towards my cheek.

Then I got mad.

Leaning forward, and surprising him by pushing his hand away by a swish of my head, I literally shouted in his face. "I'M NOT A HERO. NOR AM I A VILLIAN. WHAT YOU DO, WHAT I DO, IS NONE OF THE OTHER'S CONCERN!"

With that, I jumped up and curled myself up, grabbing my legs as Sparkles took over, clearly afraid too.

He stepped back as I formed a tight ball, pulling absorbed amounts of light all around me from beneath his dark void.

The colors of the floor beneath me weren't much... but maybe I had something left inside me... something Sparkles held onto during the fireworks show..

I highly doubted it, but I just tried to absorb as much as I could!

I looked back at those entrancing eyes,... and even sucked the red right out of them!

He looked around, a bit of fear on his face as he saw the light pierce like sun rays through his blanket of darkness from within…

I saw glimpses of his face, the ultimate fear there… that something could combat his darkness…

Once the ball continued to get tighter and tighter, I couldn't manage to hold all the energy, and blasted it out, a huge explosion of color, as it knocked him back.

"That's for whatever you told to Bagsle! You ruined his life!" I spat out.

He covered his face with his arms, before a weird tentacle of oozing slick black, as if wet like oil, sprung up and caught him.

He looked back with the most enraged death glare, his nostrils flaring, as I floated back down to the tower.

He seemed about to say something, an evil grin on his face, before he heard a sonic boom and looked up.

I turned…

And gasped! Seeing the image before it zoomed and blasted another large sonic boom as it landed near me.

The wind kicked up as Jet roll his shadowed body out into the light of the city, smiling wittily at me as if he thought he looked like a stud right now.

Shade, quickly, had disappeared into the ooze of darkness. I quickly figured out that Jet hadn't seen him much anyway, as he seemed to almost flirt with me, as if nothing had happened previously.

"Nice light show!.. wait, have we met before?"

I was surprised by the question, in this form, he shouldn't be able to recognize me!

"Not really." I said with the most sincere, unexcited, and exhausted voice I've ever heard myself make.

Honestly, we never really 'got to know each other'. So I'm not lying when I say that.

I hated being asked the same question, especially after the tiring day I've had…

"Listen, I don't have time to chat right now.

He suddenly stiffened up his back, "Don't you know who I am?"

I sighed again, "Not really." Almost the exact same way I had stated it before. "And I really don't care."

I don't have time, nor patience, for Jet's antics right now.

"Wow, that even sounded like you meant it." Jet walked over to me, and bended down next to me, seeing as I had fallen down to a sitting position myself, and didn't really want to move. "Right on ya, kid. You really helped the police back there, and not only that, but no one got hurt too! You might make a good Super Hero some day." He gently whacked my shoulder, as he squatted and smiled kindly to me, but still too cocky for my taste.

I sat down cause I was really tried, but at least he wasn't threatening me. I actually felt a little more at peace with him than Shade…

At least Jet's eyes didn't leave me paralyzed…

"You could be even better… if you joined the super hero academy."

Not him… anything but him.

I turned to see Rocketman, having rose from the bottom of the tower at super speeds, shooting straight up and landing with powerful dents in the tower's iron framing. Putting on a 'wise old man' look, and a smile I couldn't understand, he walked over to us.

"No thank you." I stated, and got up, catching my second wind, and turning around, glaring indirectly at him.

Jet didn't seem to understand my distaste.

"What's wrong?"

I couldn't reveal that I was the girl that had hated seeing Bagsle taken away like that. I had to play it cool.

"Sorry, I'm just not one to really… 'work with others' I suppose." I took off, as Jet got up and looked back at Rocketman.

He nodded.

Jet smiled and jumped off the radio building after me, "WOOOOOOOHHOOOOOOO!"…

I turned around, I was about to summon my ribbon to ride on when I noticed that Jet was following right. Behind. Me!

"Oh, for the love of…" I spiraled to the side, as Jet followed me and spiraled after. His maneuver was flawless, seeing as he could manipulate wind currents to propel himself and all.

I realized this was protocol too… something like what happened to Bagsle. If a unrecorded super was found, they were to be taken in and documented. Learning everything about their powers and reformed into something good for the community, the only thing that could mean? Being a Super Hero…

No way was I gonna let Jet take me in! Or Rocketman!

I summoned my ribbon and glared back at him, he wiggled his fingers with a goofy smile on his face like he was flirting with me again. I slightly smiled with a huff, but rolled my eyes and shook it off.

The nerve of this guy…

"You're not funny!"

"But charming, right?"

"Not even close!"

"I could be, if you slowed down enough for me to get close~" he cooed.

"STOP IT."

"What? Calling you cute?"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, is that too soon?"

"I-..Wha..?"

"Sorry! Sometimes, I just say things I'm thinking. Oh no! Now you know I was thinking about you! Ah! My manly pride….." he covered his face and totally faked his embarrassment.

He peeked from his covered eyes, this whole conversation was happening as I led him on a wild goose chase. Spinning through windows, open signs, and anything that I could move through, even phasing through, but I only phased twice cause it made me too sick; dashing and turning, whirling and loop-de-looping, anything to shake this guy off of me!

"Leave me alone!" I shot a beam of pink light I got from a diner's neon light tea sign, but he dodged it and sent a whirl of spiraling wind at me, pushing me back against the diner's board. He then rammed into me, but didn't hurt me, only pushed me back so I couldn't move.

"Now, now, let's not fight…" he grinned, acting like he was fighting with his girlfriend.

"You know, erk! I would-ugh! Like that very much!" I tried to push him off of me, but guys are pretty strong….

I was running out of energy fast too… but Sparkles's abilities had me able to do so much with just absorbing light! As long as their was light, I could keep going… even in the dark!

I tried to use a flash of light to distract him… it worked!

"Hey!" I blinded him long enough to move out of his grasp and started running along the rooftop, after climbing off the billboard. My powers were waning! And I could feel Sparkles getting tried…

Maybe I did need more than light…

He held his arm up to his face and wiped his eyes, blinking widely as he was momentarily taken aback. "T-that's not fair…" he said, half his humor faded from his voice. "Now I can't see you're beautiful masked face anymore…"

Nope…

It was still there…

I giggled slightly, he may be annoying, but he was at least trying…

I got behind a chimney and breathed slowly. I wasn't exactly fit, you know. This job was mentally AND physically demanding… I didn't know how much longer I could keep doing this!

Jet regained his sight and started looking around, "Colors? Wait, Rainbow! Come back!" he flew around, trying to find me. That's when I realized he used his hands to control the wind turbulences. I had always thought it was in his feet… wait! Mini, and almost invisible unless you were this close to him, we're also flying off the soles of his feet… so his hands and his feet allowed him to move like a jet through the sky. Interesting… where was his wing span though? I giggled to myself, seeing as he didn't really look that 'buff' to me.

He must have heard my giggles, and turned around, his smile returning, as I noticed he saw me behind him now. "Uhh… Don't call me Rainbow!" I shot another light at him, but he was quick to dodge it by hiding behind the building.

"All Supers have to attend heroes school. It's the LAW." He stated, and started to fly after me again.

My flash didn't seem to last very long, as I noticed it had faded rather quickly after I used it, and now Jet was over and on top of me! Pushing me down by my hands and gasping a bit.

We tumbled onto another rooftop, behind another sign… so many signs…

"You know…" he breathed out, sucking in some air and quickly expelling it. The heat from his breath silenced me at once… I'd never been this close to a boy before… "I've never raced someone quite as fast as me before." He laughed out, seeming to praise me. "Nor a blonde whose hair literally glows yellow with mini waves." He cocked his head to the side, and I realized just how much Sparkles' power had slowly began to effect my body. Was this change going to be permanent? I knew Sparkles' was learning more about me through my mind's link with her, but was I being more like her through our physical link?

I swear… if I sprout flippin' bunny ears I'm gonna…

"Look, I'm gonna level with ya." He seemed really loose and at ease with his job.

I hated it.

"I have to bring you to HQ, Dr. Ram's a… pretty… well I wouldn't say nice, but well mannered individual. He just needs to run some tests to see your Super Level and then you'll be enrolled, easy as that! Welcome to heroes' academy!" He slightly let his fingers fling off my hands for a moment, but even the palms of his hands kept me down. For a guy who was so carefree and didn't seem very strong, he was actually quite masculine and tough.

Ugh, he makes me SICK.

"If you're trying to sell me on this, then you're doing a pretty horrible job at it!" I spat out, wanting to just go home! I knew if I had all my energy I could have just wrestled with him and gotten away, but because of that light show, I…

It had to be because I used so much of my abilities, Sparkles was tried, I was exhausted, I guess everyone has a limit…

"You know… I can't wait anymore…" He finally admitted, but to what I couldn't understand. He started to lean in towards my face, and a worried blush escaped my cheeks.

"W-what are you doing!?" I struggled, and finally kicked him to move away.

"Woah-woah! Hey!" he made sure I didn't hit any 'sensitive' areas.

"Were you about to… kiss me!?" I blurted out, completely outraged in shock and fear.

"What? You're pretty, I'm pretty, I just thought- I mean LOOK AT THIS ATMOSPHERE!" he gestured to the brilliant lights that let out a romantic kind of feel, and then himself over me like this.

I glared at him. "We're both wearing masks! How do you know if we're pretty!? And why does that even DEFINE that we're meant to kiss each other!? Really!?" I looked at this man like he was bonkers, what kind of guy thinks like that!? Not any real boys I know!

"I thought girls liked the mysterious type…" he moved his head to the side, giving a cheeky pout to me with his eyes slightly scrunched forward.

"Noo! Well… not the ones who think they can just kiss her on the first date!" I kicked again, struggling, but his hold just suddenly got tighter on my wrists.

"…Did you just say… first date?" His eyes widened in unholy delight. "Did you admit we're on our FIRST DATE?!" his excitement made me wish I could face palm and flee the scene, even if that meant losing all my pride to get away, I would do it.

"W-what?! How bird brained are you!?"

"You did though! You said it!" he accused me, like a kid rubbing a mistake in another kid's face and mocking him for it. He leaned up a bit, getting slightly off of me, "Ha! I'm on a DATE!"

"THIS IS NOT A DATE!" I shouted out, struggling harder now, but still blushing ever so strongly… "I said, the first date! Not our date!" I tried to defend myself.

"Heh, you know, this is fun. We should do this again sometime." He acted like a boyfriend saying goodbye to his girlfriend toward the end of the date, and I finally got enough rage to just throw him off of me, after a bit of a tussle to try and push him off.

"WOAH!" he was surprised by my sudden burst of strength, as Sparkles seemed to be curious if this was a mating ritual of the human species. As I mentally scolded her while floating in the air, and stated very clearly that if another man does that to wildly attack him. Jet got up and rammed into me again, grabbing me in midair and trying to fly me to Rocketman.

"Let...ME GO!" I shot a beam of light at him, but felt bad when I noticed it had burned him.

"AH!" he let me go, and for a moment I felt the need to help him down.

I flew beneath a Monorail train that was above us, almost the same as a subway except way above ground and built to take people from one building's skyscraper to another. I hear only rich people could afford that…

"Jet? Jet! Wake up! Are you okay? I'm sorry!" I tried to figure out if I could heal him, but all I could do was X-ray him. I had burned half his Hero attire, revealing his chest, which I found out, was where all his muscle was held… He had a good build… but I couldn't focus on that right now!

No injuries to the bones… that's good. I scanned for radiation… not a lot, a normal amount for a human body, considering it kinda matched my own radiation, but was that a good thing to judge it upon? I mean… I had Sparkles' in me after all, maybe that changed the radiation my body emitted?

He started to stir, as I moved away from his side, squeamishly. He rubbed his head and got up, then winced at his burn marks.

"I..I'm sorry…" I stated, looking terribly guilty. I didn't mean to hurt the guy… I just wanted to get away…

"H-huh?" he looked over to me, and saw my genuine sorrow, and smiled. "Heh, it's alright. I was a bit forward there… my bad." He flinched again, not being able to move he looked up, trying to take the pain like a man and just grunted and groaned out the pain in quick shakes of the head as he lowered it back down. "I got burned." He teased. "Haha."

"Really, I'm sorry. But please, just… leave me alone." I started to get up.

"Afraid I can't do that." He smiled back up at me, looking cocky again. "Even if you run now, I'll still have to find you, and to prevent more people from getting accidentally hurt, we need to learn about your powers, record them, and then teach you how to properly use them."

"No ones ever had my powers before, how can they-?"

"Good question, but they have the technology to help you, and them, figure it out." He tried to get up, but seriously couldn't. His chest was turning a reddish pink, a severe burn from the closeness of the beam that seared half his chest as I had aimed my open hand toward him. I thought it would be another flash of light, but since I mentally and physically felt and wanted it to be a solid object, I made it one.

"Besides, if you were really, and I mean, truly sorry… you would give me a kiss." He winked, and I almost felt like vom-

Well…

I walked over to him, and his face completely changed from cocky to a bit scared and surprised.

I leaned down… and cupped my hand on his cheek.

Now his face was in a hysteria of emotions, some I couldn't really tell, but I knew most of it was just from no girl ever actually responding well to his flirtations.

As I started to move forward, he closed his eyes, and drew back his lips, as if he wasn't prepared for this. I smiled, and stole the faint line of reddish pink from his cheeks, then started to scurry away.

He slowly opened one eye, then blinked them both open. "H-hey!"

I jumped on some ribbon stair steps of color I barrowed from the blue of the water and the dark green of the wet grass, and had my back face him. I kinda… tried to be sexy… and moved myself to a construction site's beam, with criss-cutting metal flat bars. Moving my hand down the side of my waist, I fiddled with the ribbon of his blush's color and felt its warmth, then looked back to his gawking face, eyes sparkling with me in the center of his sights. "Don't mind if I keep this… do you?" I chimed, and smiled. "You're not the only one that can flirt, you know. Now, leave me be, or I'll take more than just this blush from you!" I warned, and absorbed the light, flying back home as he remained frozen upon the ground.

Rocketman seemed to fly back to him, and I hid behind a building.

'More than just his blush!? What was I thinking!? And why on earth was I flirting!?'

"Where is she? Did she escape?" Rocketman inquired, moving over to him, and then seeing his chest. "You're hurt?!" he exclaimed, like a worried grandfather, as he bent down and lightly held his hand over his burns.

"…I… just got straight up punked." He chuckled out, and looked to his main Hero. "I think I'm in love!" he exclaimed, as Rocketman chuckled and patted him on his back. "Those Super girls…" Rocketman rolled his eyes, as he offered him his hand, and helped him up on his feet.

'…It did give me confidence…' I shook my head in my hiding place.

Rolling my eyes at seeing the hero and sidekick relationship blossom before me, I took off again, but quietly, not wanting to be seen…

Back home, I had changed out of my hero clothes but kept Sparkles in. I didn't want her to leave just yet. Fiddling with Jet's blush in my hands, I studied the color and the heat that came from it.

I must've been quite the vixen.

I giggled and absorbed it again, then let Sparkles out after playing with it. I figured it had been far too long of a 'play time' with that blush color. I felt a bit of heat on my own cheeks but didn't pay much attention to it. However… that night… I couldn't fall asleep. I just kept seeing in my minds eye him over me like that… leaning in… I would shake myself or lightly slap my face. "Stop. Thinking. ABOUT IT." I would say to myself out loud, but then drape the covers over me and scream at myself.

I should know better than this! He was too straight forward!

I sighed…

Maybe my type is bold men?

I shook my head.

Impossible. He's an annoying womanizer.

…I smiled slightly, almost involuntary, as I finally fell asleep.

The next day, I was walking to my locker when I noticed Aldin was there, getting his papers and books all stacked up on top of each other, a huge pile full of nerd, if you ask me. I laughed, he was a cute nerd.

"Hey, Aldin!" I greeted, feeling I could be more open with him now, I mean… he did let me go and help Bagsle… speaking of which, I haven't seen him since… I hope he's okay, there at Heroes HQ School or whatever…

"Oh, hey Lily!" he greeted, as I smiled, but then saw what was on the door of his locker, and my eyes shot open.

Breaking news!

There's a new hero in town!

Colors! The girl who fights for the underdog and saves the day! Yes, that's right! This mysterious hero has come out of nowhere and taken the world by storm! A storm, that ends with a rainbow! Anyone who feels like the little guy can exclaim loudly now that they have a hero!

The story went on to quote Sid, and the waiter guy. There was even a picture of me, looking like Aladdin on his magic carpet as I was sitting Indian style on my rainbow ribbon. I noticed my hair's glow and mentally face slapped how mysteriously pretty I looked. Having my hero's suit on and having my face mostly covered, since the reporter only must have got me leaving the scene when I was weak and couldn't really stand anymore. Good thing he didn't get my embarrassing pose though… oh wait! I flipped the news clipping over.

"Hey! That's mine!" Aldin protested, as I noticed a backwards picture of one of my failed attempts at being cool.

"Oh bother." I rolled my eyes, and let it drop back down to hang on his locker.

"What? You don't like her?" he looked at my picture and smiled widely. "I think she's… pretty hot." He stated, and put his hands in his pockets, then looked to me.

"What?" I looked to him, my face daring to strike another blush on my cheeks, but I rebelled against it as much as I could. I looked back at the picture, "But you can't even see her face."

"I know, but…" he scratched his head, and turned to me, a goofy and kinda embarrassing but cute smile on his face. "She is wearing a body suit."

I went home that day, mortified.

However, having just said that…

I tried on my hero's outfit and studied myself in the mirror…

Sparkles flew up and looked at me in my cracked and dirty mirror, but 'Ohh~'d my reflection. I guess she thought I looked nice too.

Wait… didn't she do that the last time?

"I guess I have an okay curve…" I told her, moving my arms behind my head and letting my leg bend to the side, trying to look good, as I pushed my hair up.

I suddenly dropped the act and had a big frown on my face. "Nope." I stated, and started to get out of the outfit, changing into something else. Something normal. "I still don't understand why I made a body suit in the FIRST PLACE! I don't want men drooling after me like some… some... sick hound dogs!"

Sparkles curiously looked at me, not sure what I was talking about, but was probably wondering what a 'hound dog' was.

"It was an easier sewing pattern… and less material…" I tried to convince myself, "Easier to move in, flexible… lots of reasons!" but then just gave up and threw myself onto my beanie bag. Kicking my legs up and holding my face, I made some pretty weird noises of frustration and embarrassment. "I'll never wear it again!"

Sparkles 'pfft'd and rolled her eyes.

Man….

I really hate this mind link thing we have going on.

I picked up my outfit and smiled, I knew I would wear it again, and I knew I would go off to use her powers some more. She liked to think of it as play, and I allowed her to believe so. I yawned, letting the fabric fall as she floated lazily over to me, and laid down in my lap, kinda patting my legs down and then massaging like a cat to 'soften' my squishy stomach up and curled herself into a ball. Having her see through and colorful tail wrap around beautifully, moving through her body, since it wasn't solid, as she breathed softly and wagged it gently.

I smiled, petting her alien fur that was super soft and sighed. "I need more confidence... Or maybe less of it, huh?" I stated, and smiled gently. "But what girl doesn't, right?"

Sparkles purred.

"Yeah, you're a beautiful girl too~" I cooed, and she purred a bit louder.

"….So… what are you? A bunny cat? A bunny dog? I can't figure it out…"


	6. And A Hero's Tale Begins

Colors

Ch. 6

And A Hero's Tale Begins

By: Cutegirlmayra(This is for my favorite reviewer : ) Cheers to you, Leaf guy! Happy Birthday! And now, the new and improved version for Green Feather! :D )

Sparkles jumped up and down on me, over and over again. Gee… I used to think I needed an alarm clock in the mornings…

I was so wrong…

"Okay…okay… I'm up and at it. Hello, sun. I hate you… go away…" I shooed her off of me, my pillow covering the top of my head and eyes, as I usually slept like that due to the tiny window right above me always making it hard for me to sleep at night. That pesky traffic light and lamp post never gave me a second to remember what complete and utter darkness looked like.

I suppose I could use my powers, but I'm too tried and used to it anyway.

Best to not abuse it to much, you know? Could be dangerous if I sucked the color out of the two annoying lights and suddenly awoke to, not a bright blinking light, but a car crash.

Sparkles puffed up a cheek, clearly not amused as she stuck her chest out, as if getting ready to charge onto me again. "ASU FEU!" she declared.

In my mind, I suddenly registered the meaning. Turning to her, I realized this must be what people who understand two languages have to do. First, my mind got the message, second, it translated it into broken English, and third, it rearranged it into understandable English. Boy, in all the two seconds that took, I felt my head get heavy again.

Sitting up, I smacked my lips and let the pillow balance a moment on my head, before gravity let it fall off as my messy hair got slightly shocked by static. The noise was funny, anyway. "As if?" I stated, looking to her. "Well, at least you're making an attempt to sound more accurate. But listen, I feel a bit Jet-lagged. Do you mind?" I slammed my head into my pillow again, groaning.

I had thought about him ALL NIGHT.

That clearly wasn't normal.

Sparkles put a paw to her face, and tilted her head; She didn't seem to understand my joke.

Or pun.

Was it a pun?

Ugh.

I was too tired to care.

Sparkles got up again and started bouncing on my head again, "Scuol! Scuol! Engush, Engush!"

"Hmm..?" I felt around for my watch, eyes still closed as I slightly turned my head to let my nose breathe from being stuck in the pillow. I finally found my watch and tiredly widened my eyes, blinking them fast to try and focus them into seeing again, as they were meant to do. "It's early, Sparkles. School doesn't start until 2 hours…" I rolled over and face palmed, typical… is this what it's like to have a pet?

Ever since Sparkles stopped coming with me to school, I would slowly begin to teach her English to make up for the time she couldn't attend class. I would have to fib to the elementary school that I had a foreign friend staying with me and she had a desire to learn English. The elementary school teachers then let me borrow homework papers they usually gave to the kids, and with it, I started to teach her when I had nothing better to do.

After all, the school I attended in our little city was a combination of all grades. So I've only been there for most of my educational pursuits. It didn't have the best grades in the world, but it was enough to get by in life, and that's all I really needed lately…

Previously, I just wanted a job that I could live on. But now…

Thinking about it… with Sparkles in my life…

I rolled my head to look back at her, as she had let her face fall right next to my pillow, and huff in frustration at me. It was, by far, the cutest reaction she could have done towards me.

I smiled, maybe being a super kid wouldn't be so bad.

I still wanted to do good, but my thinking, and even myself, had changed a lot since I met her.

Now, however, she's been fixated on her English lessons, not so much parading around and using her abilities with me. She'd pull me by the sleeve over to my bean bag chair and push me down to sit. Then would gently fly over to my lap and open the kids' book I bought her, and make me read it. Sometimes, she would fly up and cover my mouth with her paw, to stop me, and try and read it herself out loud. I would correct her here and there, but she'd just hush me with her cute little squeaky voice. It was funny at first, but if she wanted to learn proper English, she really shouldn't shush her teacher….

Thanks to the mind link that happens when she combines with me, I can slightly understand her language more, but I kind of wish she'd just teach me it. She's too childish too, though. I swear, one minute she's a flying, talking, magical animal; and the next second she's a two year old trying to learn the alphabet. What a strange, strange world…

"Breckfest?" she inquired, looking sadly down at me, flying slowly in a low hover as she landed on my chest. Flopping down and having her tail swish around like bending light upon steam or air.

"….Fine. We'll have some cereal."

"Popitty tarts!" She cheered, flying up.

"What? No, poptarts." I corrected her, slowly lifting my upper body up, and moving back my messy and statically charged hair. "CER-E-EL." I pronounced to her.

"Oooh…" she stated, having her mouth open into a small 'o' shape. "….PAN KAKE!" she cheered again, giggling and flying off to the kitchen.

I was so done with this alien…

She got me to make poptarts in the end, and I got dressed early for school. Then, I turned on the old T.V to see the latest news story.

"Due to a recent Villains threat, all school's are shutting down for a few days to protect the children from any harm. Moon Ray has vowed to destroy a random school if Utopia won't cease his pursuit of her secret location. Police report a-"

"NO SCHOOL!" I cheered, as Sparkles almost spit out her pop tart.

Choking on it a bit, she looked at me with such sadness that I had to explain further what I meant.

"N-no no no, little fella. I'll still school you, it's okay…" I moved a bit out of my dining room chair over to her, petting her head and letting her know school won't be canceled for her.

As for me, heh, I figured some villains weren't so bad. If they got you out of school…

Seems a bit harsh, I know. I mean… Moon Ray is threatening children's lives here, but if she does bomb a school, there would be no harm cause no one's there right?

….On second thought….

I put my milk down, now that I had powers, I needed to be more sensitive about the way I thought about things. Neutral… I needed to be Neutral. For the sake of misunderstood villains and corrupted heroes who claim to be serving 'Justice' I need to be able to see the gray.

Now's that time.

I closed my eyes, and thought for a minute.

Well, maybe it's Utopia's fault? I mean, he is tracking her down… she must be so paranoid about it that that's why she made the threat. Girl's gotta have her privacy, right?

On the other hand though… Utopia's afraid she may cause a second power outage like a year ago… It lasted about ten days and some companies we're about to crash from lack of productivity while the citizen's began to freeze to death without their heaters. I don't even have a heater, but I was mostly dying from not being able to cook my meals and having to live off of chips and bagged junk food for a while… that and the occasional apple but still. Plus, the lights we're out. Do you know how hard it is to find the doorknob to you're bathroom when you're freezing, kinda hungry, and have to go really badly!? And all this went down in winter, come on! Moon Ray, I don't care if you have the ability to freeze things, aren't affected by the cold, and can control water. DON'T MESS WITH MY FOOD AND TURN MY ELECTRICITY OFF.

All my ice cream melted.

All of it.

'Okay, I've decided,' I nodded my head, thinking to myself, as usual. 'I'd rather have gone to school today if she threatened another power outage, but since that wasn't the case, I just hope that people stay home and out of trouble.'

That's when it hit me.

I quickly got up and checked my calendar.

"Coop!" I screamed out loud, and looked to Sparkles, who I startled again as she pounded her chest to get the crumbs out of her mouth from choking her again.

"ASUEN TIN TA?!" she didn't bother to speak English, she just screamed something like, what the heck is your problem?! Or, maybe more accurately, Now what's the issue?! To me.

"We've got a meeting!" I scooped her up and ran to my room to grab my Color's clothes.

What kind of street name has 'o's in it!? Capital O, O, 6? Isn't it zeros? Come on, Coop! You're leading me in circles…

I was flying around town, getting some kids to wave at me or tug on their mother's skirts or arms to have them look down to them so they could point to me.

I wasn't very popular yet, so most mother's just smiled and then walked on. Though, if it was Rocketman or Lady Saint Grace, the people would be swarming to try and at least get them to glance in their general direction.

I finally found the station. It was going to be a stop on a subway train's route, and I groaned sadly.

Haven't been on a subway train since I left my family behind…

I tried to not have the flash backs, and quickly boarded the train after buying my ticket from an awkward exchange of glances from the ticket seller.

Geez, I didn't realize how many people tend to stare at Supers. I kinda felt bad for them, being in their shoes, the public eye is really kinda intimidating…

This town, well at least the downtown where all the poor workers families lived, didn't really have good technology like the rich people and other places had. I once saw a movie where you could put a card into a system, poke a screen to tell it where you want to go, and then poof! A shiny paper ticket with money already taken out of you're membership looking card or whatever was rolled out and put into your hands. Talk about techy. But I even hear they've got superior technology only held for Supers. Now that's impressively showing favoritism.

Sitting on the train in my hero get-up, I got a lot of funny glances once more.

I don't think they'll ever go away now, no matter how popular you are, the weird will always be looked at and questioned.

A mother even pulled her child closer to her.

They obviously thought I was another hero wannabe. Dressing up and fighting crime without having real powers.

Slice & Dice didn't have any super powers and did pretty good…. Then again, he's been dead for some time now.

Got cut down by his wife over a law suit concerning her child being able to split his body.

Never did the hero thing again, after being exposed, his enemies got together and killed him when he lost his son and his marriage…

Kinda a low blow there, but I suppose villains take advantage of whatever dirt they can find. And if you're at your weakest…

I made the noise a child would make when acting as though their mimicking death, as I pretended to slice my neck.

Looking to the side, I glanced up at a kid in front of me, super hyped it seemed.

"Excuse me, Ma'am." He stated, his cowboy figure on his shirt held his hat and had a cheesy smile on his face, kinda like the one he was showing me now.

"Yeah, kid?" I stated, but I really wanted to tell him not to call me Ma'am… he didn't have to be respectful to someone like me.

He looked younger, as his Asian eyes seemed to disappear behind his thin eyelids when he withdrew himself in shyness, but excitement.

I thought he was kinda cute, so I smiled.

"Can…um… do you have… super powers?" he whispered the last part as if it was a secret I was keeping.

I looked to his parent, his dad and mom we're sleeping with their tourist attire next to him. Probably headed to the city where they held the big super heroes museum, somewhere in the city where I stopped that dad from killing the waiter.

"Yeah, so?" I smiled back.

"Can you…use them? Oh, if it won't hurt anyone, of course." He sat up, and seemed to be thinking this through very thoughtfully.

I smiled wider, leaning down a bit and putting my hands together. I looked down, and then back up. "Sure. I can control colors, light, and anything having to do with the light spectrum. Sadly, I don't know a whole lot about the light spectrum, so it's hard for me to understand my full potential." I stated, as he listened so intently, his eyes widening as he licked his lips.

"Can you do it now?"

So many 'can's.

"Can I?" I chuckled, sitting up, and then looking around. "Maybe~" I chimed.

"Please? If you want, you can just do it once!" he beamed, as he spoke in a shouted whisper.

"…Okay." I adjusted myself, readying for my 'magic performance' as the kid sat on the edge of his seat, hands on his legs.

"And now, I shall change the color of your shirt." I stated.

Hating the pink jacket on the cowboy, I changed it to a dark red. That was simple enough, just drawn in more black from the surroundings and take out some of the white from the color and put it back into the environment. No biggie.

"Wwoooah~" the kid breathed out, but didn't seem satisfied just yet. "Can you fly!?"

"Yeah, but then again it doesn't help when you don't know where you're going." I smirked, "That's why I'm on a train."

He laughed and then plugged his mouth with both hands, seeing his mother next to him adjust herself and make a little noise of discomfort as she moved herself on his father's shoulder.

"Is that you're mom and dad?" I asked.

"No, it's my mom, but he's not my dad." The boy stated. "He's her boyfriend."

"..Ah." I leaned back in my chair.

"She wants to marry him though, but I think he's too shy to ask." He stated, and I got a little too much information on this little broken family.

"That's a shame." I stated, folding my arms. "She's real pretty." I purposefully did my best American ranger accent, and the boy got a kick out of it.

"Are you related to cowboys?" He asked me.

Like some fan in America being obsessed with Japanese anime, this boy was just giddy about cowboys.

I looked to see that half of his luggage, the kid suitcases and backpacks and all, were all western themed, and I realized how much of a fan this boy must have been for heroes.

"Ha, well, I wouldn't know." I honestly answered. "Should check my family history on that."

"Please do!" he bowed a bit, and smiled.

"Alright." I teased, there was no way to really look it up without going home and asking, so best to just please him and say I would, right? A little white lie? Why are lies black and white anyway? There should be a grey lie.

"Can you do anything else?" He asked.

Just then, a man came through the crowd, "Excuse me, pardon me, coming through. You! Yes, you! Colors!" he sat down by me, looking almost as giddy as the little boy.

"Hi, nice to meet you. Hey, little dude. Look!" he mouthed my hero identity's name again, and his humor made the child laugh again.

"I heard someone saw you, but didn't think you'd be taking the train. Can't you fly?" he asked, sounding genuinely social and friendly.

"Um… yeah but.." I was more comfortable around a child than I was a man right now. He looked in his twenties, so I was a bit quieter now.

"She got lost." The boy stated, and I looked at him with a teasing glare. He laughed, knowing I didn't want to admit it.

"Smart kid." I mumbled, as he laughed a little harder, really enjoying the entertainment he was getting.

"Really? That's a shame. Where you headed?" He asked.

"Just somewhere." I stated, wasn't going to give him everything.

That's when I heard something click….

"Really? Well, can you tell me a little about yourself? Since we have time and all… or does your stop come up soon?"

"What was that?" I tried to look behind him, but he turned quickly, his extremely short black hair seemed to almost stand up on ends when I noted I had suspicion of something behind him.

"Woah, woah! What are you talking about? I'm just talking to ya, come on now." He held his hand up to me, and continued to have his hand on his left pocket.

With serious suspicion in my eye, I looked up to him, and then looked down and used my X-ray vision to see into it.

Electronic.

"Woah, you're eyes are going neon green, girl! You okay?" he moved back, a bit afraid.

The boy looked on in confused wonder, not sure what was happening but being invested in it nonetheless.

"Are you…. recording me?" I think he was, and I also think this is a secret, under cover reporter too.

"W-what?" he tried to laugh it off.

Now I was mad.

I got up, "If you wanted an interview, I would have been happy to oblige." I said, very angry, with every bit of my rage in my voice. Looming over his cowering frame, he leaned back and held his hand out to me again.

The little boy looked afraid for a moment, leaning back and having his eyes shift from me to the man, I quickly realized his fear and tried to calm down a bit.

I didn't want him to think less of me…

Especially since we were getting along so well…

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm sorry. Look, I'm heading back from work, and I thought I could get a buck from this, alright? I thought you helped the little guy…right?" He got me to sit back down, but I was very upset with his deception.

"Hey, now. Listen… now that you know the truth, will you still let me get something, anything, out of you?" he took the recorder out, and clicked it back on. "Please?" Holding it up to my face, he tried to look innocent. I looked down and watched the tape inside slowly spin around and around. If he was this desperate for money, I might as well.

"Alright. But be honest next time." I stated.

"Alright, Eh-hem. Miss Colors-"

"Just… Colors. I'm not that old." I stated, as the cowboy-loving kid laughed at my humor. I looked over to him, and my anger vanished. What a sweet kid….

"R-right…Ehem." He looked nervous now, seeing as his mask was ripped off, he didn't have the same confidence as earlier. "What are you're plans for today? Any crime fighting or… something? "he motioned his hand around, and I smiled at his goofiness. He was trying so hard to sound professional… the poor guy…

"Maybe." I stated.

"Come on, give me more than that!" he put his hand over the recorder, and then moved it off after whispering that to me.

I clicked the recorder off and smiled, "I'm doing this of my own free will. I can answer the questions as I please." I clicked it back on.

He pouted for a moment, and clicked the recorder off. "…You're not doing anything significant… are you?" he stated.

"Nope. But I will tell you this-" I turned the recorder back on, much to his surprise as he looked down at it, and then back up to me.

"My name is Colors, I yearn to find the grey in the world of black and white. But there are many colors that fill our world. I wish to recolor the sad and repaint it with happy bright shades of light." a cheesy line, but it would benefit him with some newspapers and radio stations, I'm sure. "Also, I fight for the little guy, yes." I winked, but directed it more to my cowboy friend, who happily grinned at my acknowledgement of him still being present.

The reporter man smiled, seeming a bit touched as he turned the tape off. "I guess since you're so new, any news or quote you say will be worth something."

"Not really." I stated, smiling. "But lately there has been news on me. Sell that tape while the buzz is still making sound."

After that, the train speaker mentioned my stop, and I worried he may see where I'm going. I looked at him with a bit of fear, but he just smiled and waved me off.

"Don't sweat it. I won't tell." He smiled.

"You're leaving?" The little Asian boy looked sadly up at me, following me as I moved to the door next to his sleeping future father, as I supposed.

"…Yeah. But here." I changed his shirt back, and instead, let the black I pulled out fly around him.

He giggled, as I had it tickle him.

"Remember me, okay?"

"Always! I'm your first fan!" he grinned.

"Haha." I chuckled, remembering Aldin…

"…hmm?" The mother woke up, and screamed, seeing the black color floating around her son.

"AH! Akuma! Demon!" she screamed, as she pulled her child closer to her. (Author's Note: Akuma means demon in Japanese –the more you know.)

In shock and fear, I let the color go and it disappeared, fading into the surroundings.

She slowly looked over to me, tears in her eyes and terror mixed with anger towards me.

"No, no, woah! It's okay! It was just the color black!" The man responded, trying to defend me.

He was just moving his hands up and down, but the woman leaned back, not trusting the stranger either as she clung to her son.

The man next to her woke up, yawning and saying something in Japanese, "Eh, N-nani? Mondai ga arimasu ka?" he seemed to be inquiring. (Author's Note: Eh, W-what? Is there a problem? –So you don't have to look it up)

The mother got up, with her struggling son who kept saying to put him down, and grabbed the man's arm. "We're leaving! Moving seats!" she instructed, and started stomping down the way.

The man, flustered by her sudden actions, went stammering off behind her with their bags, being dragged most of the way. "C-chotto matte! Akiri!" he seemed to be calling to her as he was trying to assess what must have transpired while he was asleep. (Author's Note: Technically, loosely translated, it's like- W-wait a moment! Akiri! –Akiri is the mother's name.)

The man looked back at me, and sighed, "Don't… don't let that get to you. You didn't mean any harm."

I just nodded, solemnly, and walked off.

I came up to station OO6, Windsdale. Windsdale was mostly rural and farm land. But in this little town, there seemed to be some city like features to it. The towns were usually separated by little towns and very small cities, scattering around the country side. I literally had to move back as a cow and his famer moved by me.

"Watch your step there." The old man said, as a kid road on the cow, looking maybe to be his grandson. "Hang on tight now, Johnny. She can be a kicker."

Almost on cue, the cow bucked with one leg and hit me on the side of my face.

"Woah! Are you okay!?" The old man stopped the cow, and looked over at me.

At least the streets we're pavement…

I got up, feeling Sparkles begin to panic in my head. Well, it did hurt, but thankfully, Sparkles had instinctively pulled the color out of the cow's shoe and used it to block most of the impact. Spitting out dust and wiping my mouth, I felt the side of my head and twitched at the pain still there.

"You alright? Should I call for a doctor?"

"N-no need…" I got up, and not really caring, blasted the ground beneath me with color as I shot up, flying on my rainbow ribbon and sitting down on it, Indian style.

The old man and boy's faces we're in wide-eyed wonder, looking up as wind rushed by their faces.

"Jimmy cricket…" The old man breathed out.

"Granpa, she's a super!" the little boy spoke out, as the two watched me fly off.

Well, I was wearing a suit.

I smirked, and decided that as I flew off, I would listen to their radio waves…

"Haven't seen one in… well, many, many years." I heard the old man say from a distance.

"But Granpa, we sees them all the time on the tele." The boy spoke out, and that's when I heard the British in his voice.

Hearing a kid who sounded very country suddenly use a British term was very odd to me, but I let it slide.

"Yes, but… in real life?"

That was the last I heard of their conversation as I flew to the police-

Oh…Sheriff's detective agency.

Oh my gosh…

Was Coop working for country pumpkins!? He clearly sounded like someone from the city.

I shook my head, to many conflicting things.

I landed and walked in, seeing two men give a glance at me, look me up and down, and then turn away like I was an embarrassment to them.

"You got yourself a problem, kiddo." One of the two men, drinking from a cup, stated.

"Um…No. I'm here to see-"

"Heh, don't lie to me, kid." The man took a sip while laughing at me, but before doing so gave me another look up and down, and then his friend laughed at me as well.

"Go home, kid. You're moms probably worried about ya." The other man said, making me glare at him.

"Excuse me." I stated again. "Could you be any more rude?"

The men took offense to that, one man straightened himself out, pulling up his pants and wiggling his belt up while the other put his drink down and stopped leaning on one of the office's short walls.

"Now look here… you either get your act together and stop prancing around in that heinous get up or your parents are gonna get a very distressing call from the police, sayings as how you've been harassing officers of the law and are all locked up in jail." The man emphasized his last two words, as I struck a confident pose with a neutral expression on my face.

Holding my hands to my hips, I turned my face sneakily to the side and coolly replied, "You must really hate kids, huh? Officer? No wonder the two of you aren't married."

The two men's faces grew a bright and slowly turning dark red, as I could literally envision steam coming out of their ears as they marched over to me and forcefully grabbed my arms. "That was the last straw, now you're coming with us."

"OH-HO! Colors!" I suddenly heard Coop as he jumped from behind a clear window wall, he had his hands up in the air and then dashed to his door, opening it in a haste.

"Ruddy, Markus. That's my case, don't you try and snatch it from me now. HAHA!" he pointed to the men and had a serious expression on his face, before breaking it and laughing. "Woo-hoo! I thought you bailed on me, sweetheart!"

The men looked at each other, confused, as I yanked my arms out of their hands.

Dusting myself off, I smiled to Coop. "It took me a bit, I had a bit of trouble. Nothing I couldn't handle though." I smiled, walking over to his big see-through office.

"Why you-" Before the cop could reach for me, the other cop stopped him.

"Let her go, man. She could really be a …. A super." He stated, and the other man looked off after me too, before he shook the man's grip off of him aggressively, and straightened his jacket.

"A super!?" Cooper turned, acting extremely shocked by their words. "Are you boys telling me you never heard of Colors?!" he then looked so disappointed in them, turning from the front to the back, in such dismay. "Oooh… ooohhh fellas… don't you watch the news?" He put his arm around me and I smiled. "She could of hung ya both by the pink of your shorts." He teased, turning serious as he looked at each with his eyes, before turning around and pushing my back gently into my office. "Well, enough of that. At least she had mercy on ya! Ta-ta!"

Getting in his office, I saw the two officers look at each other, and seem to check themselves as I 'pfft'd a laugh into my hand. We're they really wearing pink boxers?

"Hope my boys didn't ruffle ya up to much. They're not used to supers around these parts…" He walked in front of his desk, and took a paper off it, examining it, flipping one paper up to look at the one behind it, and then turned around and sat casually on his desk. "Well, a real one, anyway."

"Heh, I could tell." I huffed out, and looked around the room. "They seem a bit biased about them…"

"Everyone and their mother is a bit biased of them, kiddo. Unless they grew up otherwise." He flopped the papers down, sounding grave in his truth and then smiling to me. "They especially hate super wannabes. Whoooo, sometimes there're good people doing what they can to help, other times…" he shook his head. "There whack jobs. Sit down, make yourself comfortable." He offered me a seat in one of his two chairs sitting ahead of his desk; they both had dark wooden frames with dark magenta cushions.

But Coop wasn't one of them… right?

Then again, he clearly didn't grow up here. So maybe he was raised differently?

All I knew was my house didn't even speak of Supers, I knew of them from what the t.v said about them, but that was basically it.

Then again… even t.v can be biased at times, but they try so hard not to be at other times, it's hard to know what to believe from just watching television for your news…

"Thanks." I stated, sitting down as he went back to digging around his office for more papers and files. "Ah, so this is the Chicken's Coop." I stated, as it took a moment for Coop's body to slowly rise from his crouched position of picking up papers on the messy floor.

"Heh, you know, you aren't the first to make that clever connection." He didn't even give me credit for it.

"Hmph, well it sure isn't organized, just saying." I was kinda disappointed I didn't make that joke first. Then I got curious, "Who did make that joke first?" I inquired.

He stuck both thumbs up towards himself and grinned, "ME! Heheheheh!" he snickered at his own pride. "Made that one on my first day of work. Had too, if I didn't, others would of shot first, and can't have them gloat about that for the rest of the year, now, can I?" He gloated, "and for your information," turning his attention back to me from walking to the other side of the room, where less cabinets of untidy and hanging out of their folders papers were, he pointed to me saying, "It may look like a dump, but it's very well organized! You, and my mother, can just keep your own opinions to yourselves!" he teased.

"Ha, oh, very organized, Coop. Yeah, I see you have all your messy piles of paper over here." I gestured to where he stood, near the left, with both arms. "And all your messy cabinet files over here." I gestured back to the right where he once was. Flopping both arms back down on the arm rest, I then said, cockily, "Tell me, do you still have Abraham Lincoln's case of his missing sock in here too?"

He shot me a death glare and stated, "Watch it, sweetheart, or I'll toss ya back to the sharks." He gestured to the two men outside, watching the conversation from a distance carefully.

"I think since they realize I'm a real super now, they might be scared of what I could have done to them." I stated, smiling and then snapping at the men, making them jump and look away after noticing I had seen them staring.

"Heh, easy kid. They do have power here." He finally got his papers together and tapped them on the desk, getting them nice and straight. "Just a different kind then yours."

I thought about that too… there are a lot of different powers in this world, power given through government, others through magical occurrences, and some even from God.

"Your boss has been making a lot of sly moves to keep his business running, putting the press out of his way." He started explaining, as I sat up in my chair, ready to learn more about the truth behind the Bos-… I mean… Canid.

"He's got a shaddy business, and it's booming, oh so booming." Coop leaned forward, motioning with his hands up and over doing it in a way. As he expounded out the extend of deceit my boss has done. "Delivery is half the job. Canid's also got, what I believe to be… a bank." He leaned his head up, and grinned. "The Top of the morning…Bank…"

"The top of the morning bank?" I was slightly confused, that was a bank for super heroes especially, and rich people, with high securities and very professional employees.

"You heard me." He spoke out, and handed me a piece of paper. "I got a tip from a detained villain that he purchased the funds to make his molecular monster maker laser machine from a hidden connection that worked for them. Seems they're getting money from other places too… storing other, less pleasing and maleficent, people's money too."

I used my powers to take the color of the wood framing, making the wood more transparent and tannish in some spots now, as the color took the paper and floated back to me. I returned the color as I looked at the villain's confession. "You mean…"

"That's right, corruption in the system." Coop stated, and leaned down over his desk, putting his hands together. "I found a vile, or... bottle." He flung his arms around, not caring what to call the container. "At a burglary. The villain we caught was the man, woman dumped him or something after getting all the money from the old man they swindled it from. The bottle contained-"

"Something to put him to sleep…" I lowered the paper, my eyes widening… it couldn't be..?

"Hmm? You know of this? It was on the news for a short time." He saw my horror and suddenly looked concerned, "Ay… kid, you alright?"

"T-the bottle?" I encouraged him to go on.

"Oh yeah, well, it was bought with money that was untraceable at first. Without the witness, I would have never got my superiors to consider me snooping around to find out what was really happening at that bank. Then, I found out Canid had something to do with most of the profits there."

His door.

I remembered the Boss's door looking like it was pulled from somewhere… the Bank?

"I haven't quite tackled specifically where the underground bank is, but I know Canid's delivery service is working with it. And I've got a team trailing the employees, completely unawares of what's going down."

The men in the car…

I remembered the African American man with the sunglasses, and how Jet had fought them all away…

Were they just undercover cops?

Everything was falling into place now, and I slowly began to panic and breathe harder in my seat.

"Hey…H-hey kid, you okay?" Coop was really concerned now, he moved around the table and up next to me, bending down, and looking like a father now. "Need some water? Just calm down… you're out of their now… they can't hurt you…"

But you can hurt them.

He walked over to his water filter and got me a cup, and offered it to me. I took it and began gulping it down.

"Not too fast now…" He warned, pointing a lazy finger at me, not even bothering to lift it.

"Okaay~" he sat back down in his chair, with a little 'umgh', as he rocked up and down to get his chair closer to his table. It was one of those rolly ones, with the wooden arm rests that were extremely uncomfortable? "Kid, I need you to help me snoop around the bank. You're the only one that knows the employees of Canid's delivery business, but most importantly, they know you. If you can get one of them to show you the secret bank account for villains and other nasty no-good doers, I'll give you half the fame." He leaned back in his chair, putting his arms over his head and rocking contently. "Win-win, right? I get my case solved, and you get major publicity!"

"That's not entirely the publicity I want…" I stated, fearing what this could led to as I'd be betraying my friends… those who really needed that job to survive... for their families to survive. "You don't realize how important that delivery service is to some people, to most, it's all they have to make ends meat." I pleaded, "What will happen to them?"

Coop looked at me and took a deep breath in through his nose, and let it out. Looking away for a moment, he stated, "Wouldn't it be better that they were doing honest work and labor? Instead of this?" He responded.

I glared and stood up, banging my fist on the table.

"Hey! That's mahogany!" Coop moved up in his chair, spreading his arms up and looking insulted.

"It's not that simple! Of course we'd want that! Who wouldn't!? But most people don't hire illiterates or children! How do you provide for yourself when you're not even at the legal age to have a job!? It's not that simple, Coop!"

"You're right, but there's a right way, and a wrong way. And I just think-" he motioned his arms out again, but I stopped him by shouting out,

"There is always a gray!"

"No, kid." Coop got serious all of a sudden, standing up and moving his face right smack dap in front of mine. "Sometimes, there isn't."

Tension was high, as he stated, "Black and white, sweetheart. They don't agree with each other, so they won't compromise. But tell you what, I can get a signed document stating that everyone of those kids and their families will get a job in less than a month from the city officials if-"

"They'll starve in a month!" I shouted back, moving away after slamming my hands down on his desk again. I turned my back to him, tears beginning to form in my eyes.

"…Kid… I don't know what to say… I need you on this one. I need some colorful magic." He spoke in a more softer tone now, leaning up and reaching slightly for me.

"But… I'm not affiliated with them anymore… They'll attack me on spot if they saw me."

He froze a moment, before smiling, "I thought ol'Cain kept his business under wraps, right? Most likely, the rest of the kids don't know too much about what happened to you, and only his top dogs really know your face too, right?"

He didn't quite understand.

"Bibbity?" he smiled.

I turned to face him, and nodded slowly.

"This is the right thing, kid. For all of them."

I knew he was right.

What if someone had to deliver, without knowing it, a nuclear war code, or something awful like that!?

What if my vial really was poison…

I'd unknowingly have caused a murder.

To have kids have to live with that… or be doing such a horrible thing…

Coop was right… it had to stop.

I got in the car with Coop as he drove me to the big pearly gates of the uptown people, back in my downtown area.

"Ready?" he looked back to me, putting his hand over the passenger's chair.

"…Y-yeah…" I stated. I was in normal clothes now, I had to be. But I wore my hero's attire underneath with my mask and hid my eyes with my hoodie. He promised to provide me the disguise, but I looked like a thief with the slightly long black sleeves that I could grip with my fingers, and the skinny jeans that just made the whole layer thing even more uncomfortable… at least it was cold, so the layers weren't so bad… but still….

We started up again towards the gates, as Coop turned around, I asked, quietly, before coming up to the gate keeper's box, "How's your daughter doing?"

He didn't respond for a while, but just stated, "She's fine. Had a bit of a cold and a rough day at school, but she's fine. My wife made her chicken noodle soup, so…"

I giggled, "Chicken…noodle soup?" I put my hands, gripping to the ends of the long black sleeves, up to my face to hide my smile and chuckles.

"Hey, watch it wise guy." He looked in the rearview mirror, and smiled with me.

The Gate Keeper looked in his book, and had that same scowl upon his face. "Yes, you have an appointment with the 'Top of the Morning' bank manager…yes?" he was like a grumpy old butler looking man, speaking like he hated the world and you, most of all. But I've described him before, haven't I?

"I'll need your hand written papers of approval, your business card, and ID." He outstretched his hand.

Geez, so stingy. They just don't let anyone in without some kind of appointment, do they?

"Here you are." Coop played it cool, leaning back and relaxing a bit, one hand outside his car, and the other on the steering wheel.

"Hmm…" he looked to Coop, and then back to the papers.

"It doesn't mention your little friend…" he looked back at me, and I ducked my head.

"Oh, you mean-" Coop looked back to me, but was cut off by the man.

"Yes. HER." He stated. "Is she most certainly with you?"

Wasn't that obvious? Hurr durr!

"Yeah, yeah. She's my private eye in training!" he winked, and looked back to me. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

I nodded slowly, and lifted my knees up, hiding myself even more.

"Eh, kids. They're just shy around strangers."

"Yes… I would know…" he scowled, and for a second I think he remembered me, and as we were driving by, I rolled the window down and stuck my upper body out and spit in his book where he was about to check off Coop's name. He twitched, and put the pen down. Holding in his anger, he turned around abruptly with such hate that I just laughed and sat back down.

"Hehe…" That felt really good.

But I looked up to see Coop glaring at me.

Opps.


	7. A Hero's Lament

Colors

Ch. 7

A Hero's Lament

By: Cutegirlmayra(It's been a while since I've written for this story, sorry about that XP College is hard when it keeps piling hw on ya… but I had to write this! I had to keep it updated! So, here it is! Hope you all enjoy it and thank you for sticking around and waiting for it! My dad's still taking his sweet time editing it, but maybe one day this'll be a book? We'll see~)

Coop parked and got out of the car as causally as he could. Looking around for a moment, he put his hands in his pockets, and then let one out as quickly as he put it in to open the door for me. I got out faster than Coop anticipated; I was so tried of being 'cooped' up in that car though.

I snickered at my own thoughts, as Coop glared a bit at me, bending down after looking around and keeping his face out of sight through the car's coverage. He had one arm up on the top of the car as he leaned over and whispered to me, in a very fatherly scolding way. "Now listen, kid. You gotta stop acting so suspicious! Just relax, you're too… too…"

I was swinging my body right to left, hopping a bit on my ankles, and looked up to him with a smug smile that showed I was pretty relaxed. "I think I'm fine compared to your sweaty face, tense posture, and tight face." I added, seeing him look at me without a word and then straighten himself up. He then gave me the best fake smile he could, which was ridiculously big, and swaggered on passed me.

It was like his first big scandal, if you ask me. He did say he had been tracking this guy for quite some time but still….

He was so excited he came off nervous.

"Just stay quiet-" He began.

"And let me do the talking." I remembered, and winked to him.

He nodded back, and then flicked my hoody off to rub my hair.

We truly looked like a family, me and Coop, and to be honest I'd be proud to have Coop as my dad. His real little girl was quite lucky.

And then that got me thinking…. Isn't his family always worrying about him? I'd be afraid if my dad had a job like this for sure. I scrunched up my face just thinking about it, what a horrible thought to fall to sleep to at night. 'Sorry, honey. Your daddy's still out late for secret and dangerous detective busting. But goodnight!' how miserable.

While I was contemplating his family's disposition on his job's risks I suddenly saw at the corner of my eye a top delivery agent I used to know.

There were about three or five of them, I couldn't tell cause they we're all wearing dark hoodies and black pants, blending in together like Zebras do to not get singled out or spotted.

My eyes narrowed, as I stopped in mid-stride, letting my foot that was still up and ready to land fall slowly down and back to me.

"Hmm? Kid? What's up?" Coop turned around, but by that time, the kids I knew had walked down to an 'employees only' door, and I just walked back up to Coop, turning my gaze from them.

"Nothing. Let's go." I'll have to investigate it later. Coop was to uptight right now. He'd have stopped me and told me it was too dangerous, even after saving his life back in the sewers. That, and he needed me, I could tell. As I walked past him he grabbed my shoulder in concern.

"Hey, hey, woah… come on now. What's over there?" he looked to where I had looked, and I just shook my head, tugged my hoody up a bit so I'd still look like his detective in training, or at least a emo looking intern who didn't want to come to the bank today.

I raised my head and stated again, "For later, Coop. I'll let you in on details when we're at a safer location."

He seemed to look concerned, but nodded. "I trust ya, kid…" he stated, and walked on.

What did that mean? Of course he could trust me I'm-

Then it clicked.

Coop still had the suspicion I might be working for the Boss still…. Might still be loyal to my friends back at the underground company.

It hurt a bit to realize that, but I could see why. I did defend them pretty hard back at his office, but he should know me by now….

Oh, Coop…

I promised myself after that, no more secrets, Coop. No more.

I walked up to him, and we entered the building.

The place was bright white, rich with building structure like roman or greek pillars that were evenly spaced on two sides of the building. It looked like I stepped into Athens or a Greek God's church. There were marble statues and gold lining all around the building, very faint though, but it looked so… so holy.

People were on the two sides of the long walk way that gave a clear path to a large back desk where a woman was conversing with a big tall man, bald, and wearing white with a black tie and belt. He turned around, and I could see dark shades on his forehead with a silver frame. "Ah, my guest are here!" he stated, and his movements reminded me of an old time film movie star, moving up to us after stylishly grabbing a cane in another workman's umbrella holder vase and swung it around as he slightly skipped over to us. His prance was one of a man who seemed to know his way with people, and he surely had the suave to prove it.

The people on both the left and right of us looked up from their desk work to stare for a minute, a woman walked by with papers and they sheepishly smiled and took them, stared again for a second, and went back to work. The clicking and tapping of keys could be heard everywhere, and I swore I heard a typewriter's loud ding go off behind me, making me get a bit startled and look back.

"Pay no mind to them, they're just working to keep your money all safe and organized, little lady." The man charmly spat out, leaning on his cane and having one of his legs moved to the side. "Now, what can I help you with, Hmm? You're the young man who wanted to talk to me about a bank inspection?" he asked, his eyes looking set on Coop but his posture changed as he leaned on his chain, both hands now, legs bent and away from one another.

"That's right. Just wanted to make sure that old man who lost everything is getting his money back." Coop smiled, now he was acting! He's nervousness disappeared as he looked excited to walk around now. Thank goodness, but that goofy smile was still there. Oh Coop, lose the go-lucky expression!

As Coop walked on with the charismatic bald man, I saw again another, this time smaller, member of the group I saw early. The person seemed to be lost, as he or she looked around, and then ducked down and opened a panel on one of the walls' decors that looked like a big sun, its rays like flower petals. She moved it and started to crawl through, I ducked down, and watched her close it.

"Excuse me? You coming along for the ride there, ma'am?" the bald man turned around, being the Bank's manager I now supposed. "There's plenty of sights above ground now." He joked.

I got up quickly, and dusted myself off. Looking to Coop but keeping my hoody down so the man didn't see my face, I motioned my body back and forth. Trying to non-verbally communicate to Coop I wanted to go off and investigate on my own.

"Uhh… Say, Stanley. I think my partner there needs to use the little girls room." He added. "Long car ride." He made a noise as he sucked in air to show his apologies and discomfort. "Mother Nature doesn't just call, she beckons." He joked, rocking on his heels and keeping his hands in his pockets.

"I see…" The Stanley guy looked to Coop's odd expression and then to me, from behind his back Coop gave me a thumbs up, and I nodded. "Alright, but hurry back! And don't you wonder off now, you here? Haha…" he pointed the cane at me, and then laughed. I got suspicious of his last line, was that a secret threat or a warning of some kind? I nodded, and wondered off.

"Just to the left now." He added, as he walked onward with Coop.

The second they cleared the corner behind the large desk to the very back of the bank, I bolted to the right.

The people on their desks didn't bother to speak to me, they looked content with their phone calls of customers and typing out bank papers or organizing files. I wasn't quite sure what happened in a bank, but I knew you put money in it and forget about it to make more money over time with it.

I heard a man next to one of the pillars I was moving to stop to look at me on the ground. I was running with bended knees, hoping no one would see my slouched over self. He looked like he was about to address me, when his phone rang. I literally saw the moment in a person's life where their brain has to make a decision. His eyes moved slowly to me and the phone, and then back. His mouth open slightly, as his eyes then flickered with a bit of light and he picked up the phone, "Yes? Hello? Oh… Mr. La Fog. Yes? You're account has been updated to meet your required needs. Ah, I see, your Fog Hog has been damaged again and needs repairs?" he looked to me, and then just scoffed it off. Apparently, he made up his mind that he didn't have time to deal with me sneaking around right now.

I quickly continued my low and shuffled steps to the sun decorative on the wall. Pulling it out like the person did, I looked around, and smiled. I had a black jacket on too! They'd think I was here for the job. I just had to remain anonymous. They may know who I am, but I knew that in the business every kid trusted a member with absolute certainty. We were a people with the same objective, to get money for our families and selves. I just hoped they wouldn't question my jeans…

I went in the hole and closed the decorative sun.

As I crawled down the small pipe like route, I heard machines and men yelling at each other, or slight chitter-chatter too.

Finally, I got to an end point, and walked out, someone behind me grabbed me though and I quickly reached for my hoody, keeping it down. "Hey, punk! You're late! Get with your group and stay put!" he threw me to the side, this gorilla looking man laughed and walked on as I had to take a moment to regain myself. My head had hit the stone wall pretty hard, and I needed a minute to focus my eyes again and such.

Wobbling up, the same small kid with the black hoody ran over to me, putting an arm over me and helping me to walk with her. "Dang it! I thought I was the only straggler, sorry about that!" It sounded like a girl, and I just nodded my head in my dizziness.

"Good evening children…" A man in a room addressed the body of kids, as he had dark old glasses that we're just circles over his eyes and a black cape. His head was bald too, but he had a deformed neck that made it stick out like a vulture or bird of prey, with the cape draped over him, he looked very much like a bird. "I believe you have some errands to run." He walked with an odd step in his stride, over to some baskets. "Here you are." He passed them out, and they looked like picnic baskets. The tops were closed as I got one too, and an address. "Don't let it drop." the bird man spoke out to me, his creepy and slightly wrinkly face made me flinch back a bit. He let the basket go and I took it, stumbling backwards. "Ahh… That's a good lad." He moved on to another boy.

"Hey, don't let old Claws creep you out, you must be new here." A boy now approached me, and took off his hoody. "Who are you? Did the boss just elevate ya?"

Elevate was another way of saying, did you get a higher rank? A figurative 'raise' if you will.

These kids must have been working for KA7 for a long time to get this kind of trust from the Boss… Not making even one fatal mistake.

"Y-yeah… I'm a little in shock." I played it off, laughing nervously and hoping I could get some knowledge off this guy. "Hey um… why is it so dark down here?" I asked.

"Hey, you know the rules. No questions, just work." He stated, and looked at me suspiciously, stopping me as he moved in front and held a hand out. "If you were of our rank, you'd remember that." He stated, almost coldly now. "I'm gonna ask again, who are you?"

I gulped slightly and thought hard, "I was just thinking that for once we'd know where we're going. Making small talk, not really looking for an answer though." I covered, and hoped that was good enough.

"…Uh-huh…" he seemed to still be suspicious. Moving his head to the side, I saw his long blonde bangs get in his eyes as he looked me up and down. Thankfully, in this dark, he couldn't see my jeans… "Well, anyways, all I know is that some people don't like to let others know about their secret exchanges. You know? I wouldn't want anyone knowing I bought underwear down here either." He teased, and walked on.

Oh, what ignorant bliss.

I remembered that, the days where I didn't question, laughed it off like he did too. But what was in these baskets..?

Then, I heard a huge explosion from up top, as the ceiling above us crumbled slightly as we heard men and women screaming from above. I tucked my head as the people around me panicked.

"Get those baskets out of here!" The man known as Claws cawed as he moved his cape over his frame and head and suddenly shape-shifted into a vulture, flying down another corridor.

My eyes widened as I suddenly looked back to realize, "The hidden villains bank…"

I ran up to the corridor he flew through, and looked up. A window… and the sign beneath it… I couldn't read. I looked around, everyone was so worried about the explosions coming from up top that they weren't paying attention to me.

I outstretched my hand, and grabbed hold of the stain-glass window that had many different colors in it, kinda like a church's colored windows, as I held the color over the sign and let it slowly move so I could read it…

'Down to The Evening Bank'

'Top of The Morning Bank'

Coop was right! There WAS an underground villains bank below ToTM's bank!

"Hey! What are you doing down this way?" another burly man, having only a stained white top shirt with no sleeves and some short brown pants picked me up by my jacket again and started flinging me back to the other corridor. "Do as you're told and scram!" he roared.

That wasn't a human thing… to roar.

I turned around,

One eye.

Another… thing ran by me. Sounding like a woman, she had long dreaded hair and red skin. She hissed at the Cyclops looking man, saying, "It'ssss that punk kidsssss gang! They're sssstealing all the money of the humanssss, ssssuperssss, and villiansss!" her snake tail, literally, hissed at me from behind after uncurling form around her waist.

She looked back to me, and hissed too, her snake tongue wiggling in mid-air as I freaked out and fell backwards, crawling away from her snake head tail that entrancingly circled toward me as she stepped back.

"Don't! The child has a basket!" The Cyclops grabbed her head, as she struggled and clawed at his large hand as he just picked her up and carried her away.

I gasped, I've never seen so many… many people with abilities before in my life. Specials… everyone down here looked like an evil special.

"Get up! Now!" The girl I had met before grabbed my hand, but I wasn't ready to get up, so I dropped my basket and was pulled forward by her. We both fell to the ground, as the basket broke and the contents fluttered out everywhere.

Money.

Green stacks of paper money.

They flew down and remained, seeing as there was no wind to carry them away.

"What… what is that?" The girl asked, I looked up and saw she was maybe only 8 years old, maybe a bit older but I would doubt it. She looked frightened too, so I grabbed her and helped her up. "It's gonna be okay!" I called out, and picked her up. "Hold on to me!" she nodded, as I grabbed my basket, letting some money drop as I didn't care about that.

I had to show Coop the evidence.

But first I had to get this little girl to safety.

She was so small and light, I was able to just scoop her up and carry her in one arm. I ran down the hall way before hearing a blast, and stopping to look back.

A red, bright light shown, then orange sparks, before finally…

"Fire!" the little girl cried out, pointing back to me as a huge wave of heat hit our faces and a large blast of fire started to come towards us.

I panicked, and ducked down and held out my hand, holding my body slightly over the little girl's to protect her.

All I could feel was the heated wind on my face, as I looked up, tears streaking my ash covered face as I saw the colors red, orange, yellow, and blue make a huge target shield in front of me. The fire moved over us, as a body hit the shield, looking to be a burnt corpse with a wide open mouth, black and sot by the time it hit us.

The girl screamed and ducked her head again, as I couldn't help but stare in shock. The body's outline became nothing more than ashes as it rolled off the barrier shield and the fire began to slowly cease.

Inside my mind, Sparkles cooed me to be at peace, that she'd never let anything hurt me.

So it was her.

She must have controlled my hand and then used her power to save me.

No, save us.

I looked down at the frightened and shaking little girl. "It's okay." I said, still sniffing from my own terrified tears. "I've got you."

She looked up at me, and then pushed me away forcibly.

"SUPER!" she cried out, as if I was a monster. I looked up at her, wanting to reach for her but couldn't. My hoody was down, and my mask now showed my identity. My hair glowed against the color of black burnt walls, making the highlight effect of it look a little more than it could have been seen in the day. "Super… you're a hero…" she spoke these words as if I was the Frankenstein monster, the terror of her dreams.

"B-but…" I saved you.

"Stay away from me!" she cried out, bawling as she slowly moved away.

I got up, moving towards her. "Please…" don't be afraid of me.

She looked at me, confused, and then a piece of the ceiling fell, almost hitting her as she flung her arms over her head and stumbled to the side, colliding with the wall. She fell and I quickly ran over to her.

"Give me your hand!" I didn't have time to calm her, she kicked and hit me, but I picked her up anyway and ran.

Back to the tube I just absorbed some of the black and brown from the rock ceiling and moved her through it on a stream of color, like jasmine on the magic carpet.

She kept her head down like a good little girl as it moved her through the large pipe, and tried to cling to it, but she couldn't physically connect with it like I allowed it to with her.

I crawled behind her, keeping my hand out as to control it while I hobbled on my other one forward.

After reaching the end, I noticed something different about me.

My hair was glowing like a yellow lighthouse beam, my hands we're a whiter shade of pink, and my eyes could now see patterns of heat, like looking through one of those high tech heat signature devices. What were they called? It didn't matter, nothing mattered but getting this little girl out of here.

She needed air, we both did.

"Push….. the thing…" I coughed out, losing air as she looked back, still fear stricken. "Do… do it!" I called out, as she nodded and gasped at my demand, pushing and getting a little of the opening out.

"I... I can't! It's stuck!" she cried back, tears streaming once more down her face as I heard her grunting, trying to use any energy she had left to get out.

I could maybe move past her, but we'd be squished pretty good, up against each other. I didn't want to frighten her anymore than she was of me, but I had to help get that blasted door open.

No freakin' pun intended!

I refocused my thoughts on the energy wave of that blast, that fiery explosion and set the girl down on my side, since I had moved her up over me. Squished, we pushed, but their seemed to be some cement from the upper bank that had fallen, keeping it stuck and unable to budge.

I begged Sparkles to help me, mentally screaming to her to take over my body again and re-create the fire shield into a fire burst of energy.

She conceded.

I felt my left hand fling back, moving back and under the girl to then bring back a ribbon of the fire's colors.

"What… what is that!?" the girl started to kick away from the ribbon.

"Don't worry! It's only color! There's no need to panic!" I spoke out, and coughed. We had some air now, but the smoke was starting to make its way into the pipe.

I felt Sparkles move my other hand involuntarily to the door.

Outside, Coop had his men and the police scrambling to get people out. He was looking around for me though. I could see his heat signature, him putting his hands to his head in shame before turning around and slamming his hands on a car. Again, and once more, before letting his head fall and having a hand come and rub his eyes.

Oh, Coop…

A new heat signature came into my view through the cemented wall structure as I moved back.

"What? What's wrong? What is your color doing? How can color do that?"

"Shhhh." I calmly and softly said, as I suddenly realized the head signature was a dogs, it's nose came into the crack we were able to make and then it started whining and digging.

"That's… a German Shepherd." I breathed out, as the dog walked back swiftly and howled loudly.

"We've got some!" a man cried out, running over the debris of the bank to the dog.

"Everyone!" I cried out.

"Help!" the little girl called out. "Please… help me!"

"Don't worry, we're com-"

"Stand back!"

The men all stopped in place, as the dog looked behind him as all was quiet…

Then a huge fire work shot the stone carving out and made it flip multiple times in the air before falling to the rubble of the rest of the heap of stone.

The dog whined and winced before running away, tail between his legs at the powerful blast as I pushed the little girl out.

The men looked stunned but only for a moment as they saw the little girl coming up out of the rubble. "Someone help them!" a man cried out, as I felt her slip out of my grasp and be pulled out by two men.

"Down here!" I cried out, as two more men stepped up to replace the others and grabbed me, pulling me out. Now I could see Coop, his worried face and his eyes growing wide as he ran off down the debris after me.

"COLORS!" he cried out, flailing his arms around to keep his balance and having to turn large broken pieces of stone to get to me.

"Colors, you're alright!" he embraced me, and kissed my forehead. "Oh, I thought I had your blood on my hands for a minute there… whew, may the lord rein on high." He spoke out, glad I was alright.

"I'm fine…I'm fine..." I assured him, but it was the first time any adult really showed any serious concern for me… besides Miss Scarlet that is.

It felt good to be loved, haha. But now was not the time for a daddy's love right now.

"Coop, I snuck in with a bunch of other kids! There was a guy named Claws who morphed into a vulture and took off after the first blast. But before that he gave kids baskets full of money!"

"Okay, slow down, kid. You almost flippin' DIED and-" He stopped himself, he was at first looking me over to make sure I was absolutely alright before slowly looking up to my face, dead in my eyes. "What… did you just say?"

"Secret bank." I spoke out again, and breathed heavily, laughing though out of breath. "Down to The Evening Bank."

His eyes widened and closed, before opening again. His mouth hung down and his lips curled into a big huge grin.

I smiled too.

"Coop, you were right!"

"Heh… I was… I was- wait." He stopped from being thrilled to worried, "You got any evidence by chance?"

I looked down, I had left the basket behind. "I…did…" My head then shot up, "But I protected it from the blast too! It should be intact down there!"

"Perfect! We'll dig it up!" he cried out happily, then picked me up again and gave me a big hug. "Ah, kid! Kid, your amazing!"

"Detective… Ehem." A police man, watching from behind cleared his throat.

Coop looked over to him as so did I. "We're like family, I swear." Coop defended himself, and I just laughed.

"Well that's good, but not that." The policeman narrowed his eyes before smiling it off. "We've caught one of the bombers."

"A Super."

My heart dropped slightly. The red-skinned snake demon girl did say something that worried me.

Now that I thought about it, I think I know who she was referring too…. 'That punk kid's gang'… Shade.

"I won't talk! I won't-Mphmm!" They put a gag in the boy's mouth, and looked to Coop. "Well, he said he wouldn't talk." The policeman shrugged.

"Alright, give him here." Coop reached for the boy's hands, which were cuffed.

"NO-NO-NOO!" The policeman stopped him, holding him back.

"What in blue blazes is wrong with me touching the kid?!" Coop demanded a response, seeing the policemen, even his men around him defending him like that. "You act like the kid's a virus or something!"

"Look." The policemen's voice was full of grave sorrow, as they placed his walkie-talkie in his hands.

The boy breathed quickly, obviously afraid, but his eyes narrowed into a glare, as he glanced down.

The walkie-talkie had become nothing more than light orange sludge or slim in the boy's hands.

"He's a super…" the man then pointed to a pile of sludge not to fair from them. "Villian."

I clasped my hand over my mouth. Was he saying that that other pile of goo was a…

"If anyone touches the kid's hand, they turn into that." He spoke again, and then removed the kid's gag again. "Want to talk now before I send you to Juvie for murder?"

I was surprised the policemen's voice was so calm, that could have been his best friend who just got killed and you wouldn't even know it…

Such a strong face… or rather,

Such a strong man…

"Never! Shade will avenge me! You'll see!"

"Shade!" I gasped out his name, "I knew it."

The boy looked to me, seeing my mask.

"H-hey… are you a… A super?" he asked.

"I…"

"Don't answer him, Colors." Coop warned me, holding out a hand to stop me.

"Colors..? So you're Colors. Heh, Shade's had his eye on you. He's been wanting to recruit you for weeks!" The boy shouted out, licking his lips from having too much saliva in his mouth. "I'm sure glad it wasn't you who cuffed me." He looked back at the pile of goo near the police car. "That wouldn't have gone over well with Shade."

"What does Shade want with me?" I spoke up, sounding very commanding in my voice.

"Colors!"

"I've got this, Coop!" I silenced him, and then went up to his ear and whispered, "I've got him talking, haven't I?"

Coop scowled, but nodded.

"Heh, I'm not deaf! I'll talk to you, but the detective and police-goons have to take their leave." He looked around him.

"….Coop, could you..?"

"How can we trust her?" The policemen said, but Coop stared at me for a moment, and nodded.

"Sir, this girl just saved someone from a bomb detonation. I'd trust Colors with babysitting my own daughter!" He pushed the man back with one arm and looked at him like he was insane for not trusting me. As they walked away, I smiled to Coop, I'll have to tell him later I'd be happy to oblige.

Gee, if she was anything like he was… phew. I shook my head comically.

"Now then, we're alone."

"Yes we are." The boy smiled, and placed a finger on his cuffs. They slowly began to sizzle to Goo. "There's a gathering in the junkyard. Be there." He stated.

"Oh no you don't!" I took the blue out of the police car and cuffed his hands with that.

"What?! How... how can you do that!?" he shouted out.

"Junkyard? Thanks." I smiled, turning my head. "Coop!"

"Heh, you'll see. Once you help out these normals they'll just call the heroes on you. You'll be dragged off to that pompous school and taught to be a goody-to-shoes to bully the misfortunate like us."

I turned back, looking to the boy.

"Pfft, and you call yourself the hero of the underdog… guess what?" He leaned forward, towards me from the back of the large carrier police truck for supers or specials. "You and I? We are the underdogs."

"What is it, Colors?" Coop came back, as the policemen saw her powers and looked to her, getting out their fire arms.

"Take your power off the boy." They instructed.

"Woah-ho-ho! Hold up!" Coop put his hands up and stepped in front of me. "What's this now? I thought we all agreed Colors was my friend here?"

"Heh, see how quickly they would point the gun and pull the trigger on you? Man fears what's more powerful than them. Whether they understand it or not, doesn't concern them. They'll always fear us, Colors. They'll always fear you."

I released the colors that were holding his hands, and he tried to reach out and touch the policemen next to him.

One grabbed him by the back of his shirt and slammed him down on the ground, as they pointed the gun to him this time. "Hands on your head!"

He looked up to me, smiling.

He knew his point was getting through to me, because I just looked down at him. I knew he was right… and I couldn't deny it.

"…Come. And you'll see the world Shade's gonna form… no prejudices or biased opinions on nobody. Just plain old love and power. Love of power! Haha… you'll see what I mean."

"Hands. On your. Head." The policemen said again.

The boy looked up to him, and snickered again. "Sure thing, officer. I'll place my hands… on my head…"

He did so, and then his head started steaming from the acid he produces from them, but he didn't seem to be bothered with his head melting and turning to goop!

"And now, Officer, place your hands on my blood!" The boy then screamed as his face melted off to gooey pudding and his whole body was turned to sludge.

"…." I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, my mind whirled with right and wrong and this boy's sacrifice. Could I have saved him? Was there even enough time?

"You… you should have let me contain him…" I stated, my eyes watering up again as I glared to the policemen. "You should have let ME CONTAIN HIM!" I shot a beam of light at the policemen's face, as Coop freaked out and pushed me back.

"Colors! Colors, stop it! Calm down!"

"Arugh!" I moved all the color from one certain spot, creating a literal 'invisible spot' in one area as I shot the color off onto another car and flipped it, almost crushing a few survivors and some policemen. "He's dead cause of you!"

"Colors!" Coop shook my shoulders, and I stopped, looking back up at him in tears.

"Get a hold of yourself!" he cried out, and cupped my face in one of his hands. "Now look at me, what did he mean by 'Come, and you'll see'?"

I shook my head, I couldn't trust Coop anymore.

I pushed him away, and gripped myself. "Why, Coop?! Why!? So you can kill more children with special abilities!?"

"…What..? Sweetheart…" Coop's face turned softer, but I screamed when he tried to get closer to me.

"No! Stop! Don't come near me…" I cried out, my face a tearful mess as I summoned forth colors and rode it up into the air in a tornado under my feet. Policemen held up their guns, but didn't shoot. I hadn't hurt anyone 'yet' so by law of supers I was considered innocent until further notice.

"Colors… you're scaring people." Coop put his hands up, trying to talk me down.

"…Why, Coop? Why is there no grey?" Colors began to form around my being, the tornado moved up and circled me in a ball of lights.

It was more massive and wider spread than the last tight one I formed with Shade…

"Colors…" Coop began to tear up too. "He committed suicide, Colors. There's nothing you could have done…"

"He killed himself because he felt he had too!" I cried out, "He felt forced!"

"No, Colors. He was trying to get to you, and he succeeded. Come down and let's talk about all this, okay? It's not yours, or anyone else's fault here." He moved his hands around, the police men turned on their lights, ready for anything.

"Come on, sweetheart. I don't want to see you hurt yourself, either." He spoke so softly to me… I wanted to just hold him and pretend for a second he was my real father. But I couldn't.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Coop. If I get more information on Shade… on the secret bank. I'll let you know." The ball stopped forming around me, and instead, I shot off like a rocket, towards the only junkyard I knew that was close to me.

"The revolution is upon us!"

"Yaaaaaah!"

"We must return the world back to its original state! Darkness before the sun!"

"Yaaaahhhh!"

I had exchanged my black hoody for some of my normal attire. Still having my mask on and my hero's attire underneath me, it took me a whole three hours to actually find out which part of the ginormous junkyard the boy had spoken about.

A meeting was being held to recruit young and secret supers to their ranks as revolutionist it seemed. From what I heard, they were talking about a new world in which supers could live with no rules or laws, and that the laws of nature would be the only thing to govern them.

"And who is our leader in this grand movement?"

"SHADE! SHADE! SHADE!"

"Whose father was none other than Rocket man's bane? Dark Destiny! And who, now in his glory, will destroy both law and order for our benefit. Whose name will be known throughout, not just Koleroy, but through the entire nation! And someday… This pitiful world?!"

"SHADE! SHADE! SHADE!"

"Then folks, my young friends, soon to be fighters for a better tomorrow and peace that only war and bloodshed can bring. I give you… SHAAAADE!"

I tightened my grip on my loosed purse strap. My disguise was to be a teenage girl with nothing better to do, but wanting to listen about being treated equally to normal people, even if I was a super. That is… that's the background I put on my character, if anyone asked what I was doing here.

I was prepared this time, after the boy questioned me at the underground bank, I was sure as heck not gonna lead anyone else, especially here, to suspicions about me.

But here he comes… that boy that killed innocent people within that bank….. and who knows what he was going to do next!

Shade stepped out onto the stage, his cool demeanor causing girls to scream out his name like fan girls and men to call towards him with admiration.

"My fellow people…" he began, his voice silencing the crowd in seconds, right after someone whistled in his respect. "Heh, heh. Thank you, I'm truly honored. But you must know, I don't care what your power is or how your life was…"

In the light, his obsidian hair glistened with a purple highlight. His dark leather clothes shined with the spot light as the building looked to be an old scrap house for working on rebuilding old cars or gizmos. Shade moved with such elegance that he allured the crowd's attention to him with his voice and presence. His sight never leaving their eyes…

He held himself with such sound refined grace that half the world around me was simply cut off, and all I could see…

Were his piercing red eyes.

I felt almost as if I was put right back into that strange, paralyzed trance again…

"No, I only care on how you want your life to be, and what your powers… can do." He moved his hand up, and the stage lights slowly went off, covered by a thick veil of darkness. "I have one wish and one wish alone. Revenge on the man who let my father die, and to give all of us a chance to live the lives we deserve. Now, come, come. Is that so bad?"

"NOOO!"

"Do you want paradise?"

"YESSS!"

"Do you want some super heroes telling you what you can and can't have?! What's wrong and what's right? When to laugh and when to cry!?"

"NOOO!"

The crowd was so into him, and for a moment… I saw his reasoning too…. But he wanted revenge more than anything. Rocket Man was getting old, and this guy seemed to have such a power as to frighten even the elite of the villains! I remembered what that snake lady said, she knew him as 'the punk' but does that mean the villains know of him too?

"Then, please…. Allow me to turn your head to my new order. A way to escape the life you have and come to a world… with no more pain and sorrows, but joy and wonders!" he outstretched his hands, and the people cheered. "Just this way, thank you." he bowed and pointed to a sign up table, where everyone was getting in line. He spoke quickly as he turned and rolled his eyes, clearly he seemed to be half lying to the crowd, and went up to someone with a clipboard, conversing with him as he put his hands in his pockets.

I couldn't help but be drawn to him… Sparkles cried in my mind to stay away, knowing he could sense her.

I stepped forward though, moving through the crowd of people, till I was there on the edge of the stage, just… looking at him.

He was twisted in his ideals, but…

Maybe he saw the grey?

Just, in a villainous way.

But if I could understand it…

"Make sure we get their super power, then class them accordingly." "Right. Now what do you want to do with-"

The man next to him went on, everyone in this building were teenagers it seemed, about my age or older maybe, but Shade was distracted by his fellow peer as he looked around.

I began to feel Sparkles's fear within me, and started moving back.

But it was too late.

Shade looked my way, and for a moment, I felt darkness begin to swarm my being, as my power waned slightly.

Shade tilted his head, as if not sure what he was searching for.

I quickly ran, I know, now I looked suspicious! But I was scared… my power was light! His was darkness! Obviously, I'm at a disadvantageous which was a major minor set back!

I mean, I may be able to pierce some forms of shadows and darkness, but only if there was color around. If all was darkness, I wouldn't know what to do!

He suddenly walked, calmly but with conviction, to jump off the stage and head towards me; but before falling his being was engulfed with darkness, and he moved in shadows through the crowd. I could barely see to begin with! Now it seemed like he was following me!

Don't use me! I'm scared! He's trying to locate me! He can slightly feel more light in me! He's already drained a bit out, Lily, run!

I'm sorry, Sparkles! I'm sorry! I should have listened to you! I just… I don't know what came over me!

"I do…"

I turned my head. There was a boy in a beanie, his eyes were covered with a decorated wrap as he took them off, his eyes sockets were black with yellow piercing eyes. "Shade. She has another soul within her."

The boy's voice was not coming from his mouth, but IN MY HEAD.

Shade appeared next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it. "Thank you, Pierce. I was expecting company, but not like this." Shade smiled, and walked over to me as fast as he could speed walk, grabbing my arm. "Now then, how are you? I see you've been putting some bad men in their place lately, hmm? Not turning on your own kind are you?"

I tried to yank my arm away.

Was he referring to me working with Coop?

How'd he know about..?

Maybe there was some survivors who escaped…

Spies, even?

"What? You had such a way with words last time." His smiled turned more sinister as he placed his other hand on my chin, holding my head in place. "Colors, they call you that, right? Or did you make that up for yourself? I can't remember. I hate all colors but black, sadly. Sorry to disappoint. But I would really like to know what you thought about my little presentation here."

"Erk… S-stop it! Let me go!" I didn't want to play his game again, which only made him madder.

"She doesn't wish to humor you." Peirce spoke up, and I glared at him. "And now she's mad at me."

"Ha! Who wouldn't be!" Shade cried out, laughing. "You look into the privacy of people's brains!" he turned back to me, "Oh, why not humor me?" he whined slightly, but he seemed to be faking it, as if playing around with me. "I want to know…" He moved closer to my face, and for a second, I stopped fighting to look into those hypnotizing crimson eyes... "What did you think of my reasoning? To black for your grey tastes?" He snickered out.

"…For someone who speaks of revolution, you don't really revolt very well." I spat out.

"Hmm? How so?" He seemed intrigued by that comment.

"You're not too well known as a threat." I thought of that snake girl saying 'punk', showing she wasn't really highly scared of him, in my opinion. "Robbing a bank for money? Seems kinda old school if you ask me. Typical bad guy stuff." I struggled under his grasp again, but he was just so… so powerful! I then noticed that my feet were pinned down by his dark aurora. That my shoulders were locked into place too.

He wasn't taking any chances for me to hightail it out of here… and I noticed that a little too late…

He looked me up and down, a bit of fond humor in his eyes, "I need to keep my people happy and supporting me. Little acts of rebellion like that can do me nicely."

"Really?" I glared up at him, my words coming out harsh and brash. "Then why stay so well hidden? I thought you wanted Rocket Man to find you so you could get revenge? I think you're bluffing. I think you're just some coward hiding in the shadows!"

That one got him, his smile left and he threw me to the ground.

The people around started to huddle and surround us, but his men blocked them, giving us room.

Or more so… him room.

They could care less about me.

But it seemed Shade really cared,… why?

Besides being a threat against your powers… why want me on your side so badly?

He got on top of me and had darkness literally cover me like a blanket, keeping me down. I shook my head, possibly the only thing I could move as he gripped my wrists. "What you see as cowardly is really just me placing the pieces in the game. I have to strategize you see. I'm trying to take down all government and heroes alike, I'm gonna need a bit of a few backups. You know what I mean..? I wouldn't want to spoil the game too quickly now…" he leaned down near my face, and then looked into my eyes, moving his head right and left to try and get a good view of them. "Tell me, where does your power come from? Something alive, yes." He started deducing things as I felt the darkness try and seep into me, looking for Sparkles.

He definitely saw my eyes… which means he could have seen her rainbowic tail swish or something! Proving their was live in there…

Sparkles, you have to get out here!

I…I can't! If I act now, his power will find me!

"Dang it!" I moved around, but still nothing.

"Pierce, how do you know there's another soul in her?" Shade moved up, and looked to his peer.

"I hear her mind talking to another, she waits and then responds."

"That could be the rambling of an insane woman, now tell me, how?" he seemed a bit threatening with his questioning.

"….If it was her own mind, I would have heard her speaking back."

"Really? Then by all means, let me see this 'other soul' Hmm? Maybe it will do my bidding. With enough persuasion that is." He smiled, getting up. "Take her to the dungeons. I want to know where that power I sense is coming from. I want it out of her and tamed. If not…" He looked down to me, and smiled wickedly. "Then I want it destroyed."

"NOO!"

The men came around and picked me up, "You can't do this!"

"Oh, but I am." Shade coolly spoke out, moving his hands up like it was 'out of his grasp now' and walked on.

I was such a fool! He never wanted me, he wanted Sparkles!

"Shade! You'll never be satisfied with this! You can't avenge your father by death of his enemy! That won't change anything!"

He suddenly spun around, his crimson eyes glowing as darkness raged around his being, frightening on lookers that had once praised him a moment ago.

I remembered having sucked that red out from those eyes, leaving them colorless, and how they still held the same look in them…

"I'M NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD BY KILLING ROCKET MAN, OH NO. I'M GOING TO CLEANSE THE WHOLE WORLD OF HEROES FOREVER! There will only be supers acting for themselves. No more fighting for what they believe is right or wrong, black or white. There will only be your own, beautiful chaos that you create for yourself, or your own order. Either way, meddling in the lives of others choices will be punishable by DEATH."

"Punishable? I thought you just taught these people there'd be no RULES."

Shade's eyes widened, a small gasp escaped his lips as he looked around. His 'army' had begun to doubt him thanks to my words, as he looked to me with a glare, then a smile.

Oh yeah, he liked my cleverness alright, but it seemed like he was going to have fun getting back at me for that.

And I worried what ways he had of getting back at me were exactly…


	8. A Hero's Pang

Colors

Ch.8

A Hero's Pang

By: Cutegirlmayra(Sorry I haven't made a chapter in a while, I've been very busy with college work x-x homework will be the death of me… anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! – that was a cruel joke, I hope you cry or are very saddened by this chapter.)

They flung me inside.

My body hit the cold, grey and steely ground so hard and fast that half the air in my lungs flew out of me in fright. I struggled to get my air supply back, coughing, but down in these corridors of the so called, 'dungeon' there wasn't much air to go around…

I was pretty sure I was up in one of the higher levels of the building, due to all the floors we had to go through on the rickety elevator.

Kinda ironic they call it 'The Dungeon' when it's above ground. Shows these kids are really messed up alright.

During the elevator ride, Pierce had been scanning my thoughts. His voice in my head was so annoying, I already had Sparkles in there, but now keeping quiet as to not take any chance of getting caught. I didn't need another unwanted guest!

As soon as I was in the jail-like cell they locked the barred door and we're gone. I moved quickly to the only light source there was, a very thin rectangular window that was very, very small.

My eyes squinted at the moonlight, it was so late in the night…

And I had homework…

I tried not to think about anything but getting out of here though, even if jokes did make me feel a bit better, although stressed.

I put my recently tied up hands upward, or at least tried too, and wiggled my fingers. Sparkles! Help me out here!

With still fresh ropes, I pulled and tried to loosen the hold of it on my hands, while desperately clinging to the idea of remaining calm.

… What if they're watching…

I think they left, but either way, I need air!

… Lily… I'm so scared…

Sparkles! Come on!

I was growing angry with her, she was blocking me from using her power on my own, and even though her words made since I was gasping for some clean air.

This place was smoky, and it stung my eyes a little.

What were they doing? This place hadn't been worked in for months!

I shook my head, nothing else really mattered at the moment but getting out of here and getting a gasp of fresh air.

"Sparkles!" I cried out, still on the ground, and unable to get up. I let my head fall, and coughed. The dirt, hazy and muffled air was taking it's toll on me. I could hear sounds but it was lost in all the walls and floors, mere shouted echoes could barely reach me now…

I felt like I was in some kind of insane asylum, hearing the muffled sounds like they were words, as everything was turning a funny dizzy in my eyes. This made me almost unable to concentrate and my mind felt like it was blacking out.

I rolled back my head, before letting it drop back down, unable to keep my mind steady, nor my breathing.

Sparkles obeyed immediately after that, letting me use my power to open the window, but the second the widow creaked every so slightly open, three figures came in the corridor hall, and I mentally told Sparkles to hide again. She locked away her power once more, but I could feel the light within me shiver and quake at different moments, her life force was shaking in fear… and I could feel it.

I gasped the fresh air as it kicked up some dirt, their was at least a wind tonight, but it ended as fast as it came, but it helped me feel cool and get my act together.

"So, this is the girl my dear Shade's been so upset about?" A young girl's voice was heard, walking into my cell once it was unlocked. She wore red and grey leather, with some deep black accessories. Body tight like mine, but she seemed far too young to be wearing something like that. Not revealing, but very, very tight.

"More like raving mad about." A man, seeming older, spoke up. Wearing big glasses I swore only a nerd would wear, he looked familiar… maybe the brother of the man I saw beside Shade on the stage before.

"She's not even that pretty!" she spat out, having a mask on, and wearing pigtails. As she walked in and put her hand up in a snotty rich girl way. She must have been a snotty rich girl, her voice was so annoyingly high that I didn't even care if I was judging her or not.

Valley girl? Princess? I wasn't sure, but something along the lines of snotty for sure.

I glared at them from the ground, turning my body to face them, still unable to get up.

"She's got quite the glare…" A man with a tail that swished behind him walked in, the tail was so thin that only the moonlight could show its string or wire like self. At the end of it, were three stringed ends. As he noticed me studying it under his hoody, he quickly lashed the ground to get my attention back to him, "And she's curious." He grinned, but I couldn't see his eyes.

"Oh, shut up, Rahfel! Not you too!" She whined, being overly expressive with her emotions as she groaned and flung her arms up and then down. Gee, she must really hate me or something…

Such a child… spoiled? Definitely… Him? The glasses guy looks like the nerd of the group, trying to fit in with the 'cool kids' maybe? And the guy with the tail..?

Some creepo monster to me.

"What? She is interesting, someone who can control color."

"But how dangerous could she be?" the nerdy one asked.

"Light. It's the light spectrum." Shade stepped in, smiling. His smile made my whole glare turn to pure fright and shock.

What was he doing here? Exacting revenge on my words beforehand?

Now wouldn't be a brilliant time if you asked me, it'd be the worst time!

What about his little army downstairs..? Didn't he need to do something about that?

"We have it under control."

Oh no.

"Pierce, you look like your communicating with her. What's she thinking?" Shade turned to Pierce, and he looked to him, for some reason, this time I couldn't hear their conversation. Did he allow access to people's thoughts when he wanted them to be involved? That's a scary thought; he could be a brilliant phone line for Shade's invasion.

"Ah… I see." Shade looked back to me. "Well, let's get on with it, shall we?" There was a bit of dark humor in his voice, as suddenly Rahfel had chains come out from under his lengthy jacket sleeves that went with and complimented his hoody.

Long and dark chains…

I tried to struggle but they moved me up and tied the chains to my limbs, making me sit up and on my knees. Super uncomfortable by the way, and wrapped the ends of the chains around big metal needles it looked like, spiked to the ground with a circular hole where the chains we're wrapped through.

They took off my ropes to replace them with chains!? This was getting a little too intense, and I was trying so hard to keep a straight face, but clearly that wasn't going very well.

I knew I couldn't be an actress!

Strangely enough, Rahfel didn't loose the chains from him, it was as if…

I gasped.

What if they we're connected to him? Was that his power?!

Chain arms! Sick! But super scary!

I know I shouldn't be making jokes, but I'm kinda terrified right now, so humor comforts me!

"Now then, if you would be so kind, Ellie." He spoke to the girl, who smiled charmingly.

"Sure thing, boss." She cooed, and then went over to my face.

What was she? An underaged Harley Quinn?

By the way she just smiled, I would think so…

"I'll enjoy this." From the air around her hand, I could see little waves of something, before she slammed her hand into my cheek, and kept it there.

The pain soared through me, as I tried to move but my freed arms we're now not bound by not ropes but chains. And as I struggled, they digged into my skin, making it even worse to move with the pain. I reeled my head back, screaming.

"That's enough, Ellie."

"But Boss, there's so much pain to go off of, I-"

"STOP."

She reluctantly removed her hand, as my head fell forward, swinging slightly in exhaustion.

I breathed heavily, as I heard the chains loosen and hit the ground, letting me move slightly without the horrible discomfort.

Not only was that the worst pain I've ever experienced… but it felt like a mashup of all the pain I've ever felt.

That small breeze from before? In the little window? Gone.

The little bit of memory of it vanished after that painful attack, I was coughing all over again, and my 'calm' and 'cool' was gone too.

I didn't have a breath of fresh air, instead, I had the cruel and dry air of torture.

"Did you feel that, Colors?" A cruel question. "Rhetorical, of course." Shade walked around me, flipping his cape as he got on the other side beside me, and bent down.

Whispering in my ear, he almost breathed out the words as if talking to someone intimately, "What you just felt was every pain you've ever felt in your life,… from every little cut or bruise, to excruciating pain from every broken bone or shattered-"

"I've had worse cramps." I spat out, barely looking at him, just swishing my head slightly in his direction, keeping it down.

I wasn't gonna wait for him to try and intimidate me with pretty and threatening words.

I guess I got my answer then, though…

That wasn't new pain.

That was old, forgotten pain… like an unpleasant memory. You're body reliving it, quite literally…

And I've had a lot of pain alright…

"Stop with the small talk, what was that all about?" I breathed heavily out the words, only able to move my head slightly towards him as he moved away, seeming annoyed but chuckling it off.

"What a girl."

"I like her." Rahfel joined in, smiling that same animalistic grin. I could see the fangs, he had to be half beast or something.

"Yes… not like a typical person, is she?" Shade grinned back to match his. "But that also means not easily broken…"

"More fun for me." Rahfel chimed out, having the chains as almost a billion fingers pull back and rip themselves forward and behind him, making me fall quickly to the ground, hitting my chin, and making it bleed from being scratched on the rough ground.

"So… this is torture then?" I stated, looking to the nerd, "And what is your job? Count how many times I scream?"

My sarcasm came out like poison, as they all stared a moment. All besides Shade, who in his amusement of my 'not so typical' personality, smiled wickedly at my words.

Gosh, this was his thing, wasn't it? The witty girl, tortured but still fighting back with a bite.

I don't think I've ever loathed something so much before, than that man's smug little grin.

"To watch your vital signs, so you don't die." The boy spoke up, saying this with so much guilty pleasure I almost couldn't swallow my spit.

They were all like him… weren't they?

They really did enjoy this.

"What… with no equipment?" I didn't believe him. "You're just here for the show, aren't you?"

He suddenly picked up his hand and slowly moved his glasses down.

His eyes blazed to life with computer frizzes, and light blue and green looking data streaming and girding all over.

I even thought for a moment that he opened a file, but I wasn't sure, it was just a box with circles and other backwards numbers and words in it.

He was here to actually analyze where my power was coming from.

Though just staring at me.

"Listen here, Colors." Shade began, moving back to the front of me as Rahfel loosened his gripping chains on me, so I was able to try and wobble back upright. "I'm creating a colorlessworld. But I'm sure your power, even as cheesy as it may seem, can be of use to me. Tell me, where is the thing that controls your powers within you? May I see it?" he tried to sound pleasing to the ear, as if to coax me or Sparkles out. I wasn't going down that quickly.

Clearly, he should of known that.

Glaring, I looked to Pierce. "Read my head you ugly, eavesdropper!"

He was staring at me the whole time, hanging with a straight stance in the back, with his hands placed neatly in front of him. He tilted his head to me, being inside the cell and leaning slightly against the bars. But then, suddenly, with all the things I was saying and showing him from the boundless limits of my imagination within my good ol'noggin, his face turned to horror and he gapped, turning his head and leaning on the cell bars behind him.

I smiled.

"What? What did she say!?" Shade grew angry, looking to me and then him. He yanked the boy back to face him and shook him slightly. "What happened?!"

"It's not what she said… it's what she thought…" his voice sounded scared in my head.

Good.

"Are you trying to tell me you we're scared from her silly PICTURES IN HER HEAD?!" he shook him to the ground.

"She imagined me being beaten as she was, experiencing her wrath, it was horrible! Her form of torture is far worse than-"

"Oh, shut up!" seeming fed up with him, Shade kicked the boy down. "You're dismissed."

Pierce looked to me, and I felt pity for him. Why are you even here if he treats you that way?

He looked down, not answering me, I suppose he didn't hear me, not linked up to my brain-phone or whatever, but it looked like he might have.

There was something different about Pierce,… he didn't seem to smile like the others did when I looked up from my sufferings.

He held his hands spread out to lean on the entrance's bars, about to run out, before looking back in my general direction at me over his shoulder.

His eyes might have been covered by his bandana wrap, but I could still see the sweat on his face…

He must have 'seen' a lot of torture sessions, but I bet he never envisioned what torture looked like till I showed him it.

And maybe that meant something more than just hearing it.

I know what it's like to become numb to something,… but I knew I shook him to the core with 'seeing' the thing he's only heard.

A lot like me… when I actually thought about what I was delivering…

Quickly, he scurrying off as I could hear his receding and hasty foot steps down the corridor…

Maybe he really did care..? Just too scared to stand up and say anything.

They all looked scared of Shade, honestly…

I could see why…

It's just like the 'don't ask' policy in the KA7. But in this place…

It's 'don't cross Shade'.

"Now then. There are other ways to make you talk." Shade, through having his hands stretched out wide, summoned long wisps of vines, full of the mists of darkness I was now so used to seeing. They moved like snakes, and wiggled their way through the air. He moved his arms slowly down, and they began to move towards me, before lashing out at me, and cutting me up like whips on my body.

As my disguise laid in ruins and ripped pieces around me, only my hero's attire now showed…

"Heh, even wears the suit." Rahfel stated.

"Wouldn't be complete if she just wore the mask then, eh?" Ellie mockingly teased me, leaning against the wall like she was some kind of Marilyn Monroe.

All she needed was a stick of gum and I'm sure you could picture her perfectly by now.

"You're really not that pretty." I stated, and her face completely went from seductive little punk kid who thinks she's the bee's knees, to a beast equal to that of medusa.

All in fascinating intervals of her facial expressions.

"You vile little-!" She moved from the wall but was stopped from lunging at me by Shade, who wiggled his finger at her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He was blocking her with his arm outstretched, the black vines like living oil warped and moved with him, before seeming to just drop and fade away like a paint spill with no clean up, not even touching the floor. However, she was behind him, and he was still facing me, "She's just upset I ruined her lovely little outfit."

"Lovely!?" Ellie whined out. Seriously, this is the 20th century. Stop sounding like someone from an old classic movie, where they used to call girls, dames.

She certainly had the pitchy voice to match it!

That was torture enough!

"You get to easily stirred and offended, El." Rahfel laughed, and looked to me. "Aren't you a tough little kitty." Why am I attracting all the wrong guys?

"Heh, heh." Shade made a quick laugh out and pushed Ellie quickly back behind him, making her almost trip, but she regained her balance.

Shame.

I would of really liked to see her fall.

"I'm only gonna say this…. One… more time." Shade resummoned the dark wispy vines… and I truly felt like breaking down and crying now…

There really wasn't anything more I could do. No amount of witty banter could stop the excruciating pain that was coming… and I knew it… and it terrified me.

"Shade!"

A saving grace?

"What is it now!?" Shade turned to look at the boy who ran in, as they all did. In this moment, I could feel the searching darkness fade away.

Now, Sparkles! Before you feel my pain too! Fly out and hide in the ventilation up above me!

I moved my head up, so she could see what I meant. A big long protruding square hung over me, with little barred openings leading to the shaft.

Please!

B.. But you'll be…for my sake…

She was hurt far worse than I was. That mental attack on my body from my past pains had also inflicted her, and she wasn't good at defending against pain that wasn't her own…

Go! Now!

I won't… I won't let you suffer alone!

Oh Sparkles…

I felt so bad about this, crying as they conversed with the boy who interrupted my interrogation recital.

I knew I couldn't let them see me like this, it was literally the worst thing I could do!

Besides…

Letting them get Sparkles.

"A dumb cop got word of our meeting 'ere! We've gotta skat!" he spoke oddly, but Shade just growled out an angry shout, slamming his foot down in frustration.

"He'll alert the heroes." He muttered out.

SPARKLES! You're of no use to me, now! Get out! I never wanted you anyway!

That's not gonna work! I can tell you're lying for my benefit! I'm connected to you, remember?

Darn it, Sparkles! Leave! Leave and I promise I'll survive!

B..but..

DO IT!

I squinted my eyes through the hazy smoke, as if trying to force the light I felt in me out. I had to keep her safe, if that meant me suffering than so be it!

They'll kill you if they find you!

I…I…

SPARKLES, GO! NOW!

They'd turn around any moment and see her! It had to be this second! It had to be RIGHT. NOW.

Sparkles finally, with soft and loving tears I could feel and hear in my mind's eye, flew out of my eyes as quick as light from the sun, only a flicker of light could be seen within the moonlight of that tiny window. I motioned back my head down, as her little ball of light floated into the three open slits in the square connected to the ventilation system above. There, I could hear a faint 'thump' of her bunny like body hitting the ground, as she looked down at me from the slits.

"No… move, move." I whispered, shaking my head to the left for her to continue down the ventilation shaft.

I couldn't look at her for too long, so I kept ducking my head back to check on them, talking about something, before looking back at her.

I could see her, which meant they would be able to see her too. I leaned my head back a few times, motioning for her to get back again. She got it, thank goodness, and slowly began to move. She kept her eyes out towards them this time, understanding now what I was trying to gesture at before.

My eyes turned back to normal as I looked to the three, still not looking back up, but Rahfel seemed to have saw the flicker and turned around.

"Hey, I think she used light." He stated, and the three turned around.

"She what?"

"I blinked at a flicker from off the wall, behind James." He raised his hand up to block the moonlight on me, as he leaned down to study my face.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to reveal I had lost the power from me.

One of the chains loosened as he placed his sharp nailed tip of a chain 'finger' on my chin, making me look at him.

"Her eyes… their not white with a slight rainbow at the bottom anymore…" he stated.

Crap.

He must of saw before I closed my eyes!

"Let me see." Shade forcefully pushed him to the side, and looked. I closed my eyes again, but he just slapped me to make me open them.

"See?"

"Yes,… I do see. The thing within her either died out or escaped." He looked around, his darkness leaking out of him like a misty terrain as they searched for her.

They moved up to the ceiling…

No…

I removed my eyes from looking up, I didn't want them to notice where my eyes we're going.

She'll be fine… she'll be fine….

I don't know how but… they didn't go into the square to look, Sparkles was safe.

I looked around, making it look like I wasn't looking at anything in particular, and glanced toward Sparkles location quickly. They had begun to seep back into their master, the darkness anyway, and Shade arose, angrier than ever.

"You're trying our patience, Colors. Where is your power!?"

"What power?" I cheekily spoke up.

"Ellie!"

I screamed once more, this time, she placed both hands on my head, and the chains brought me down tighter as my struggling increased. She was not only using every pain, but every terrible memory I had that hurt my heart more than the physical pain ever could!

She was also using my emotional pain.

My mother's dead stare with no feeling fixed on it. Looking out a dusty old fogged up window that only showed desolation and a waste of years…

My favorite dog dying…

When I used to be bullied at my old school…

Their intolerable laughter…

I blinked my eyes open, feeling about ready to collapse.

"The power?"

I couldn't speak.

"Is she still functioning?"

"Her breathing is irregular, her heart rate's rapidly increasing, and her adrenaline is fading. One more, one handed pulse of pain will knock her out." The nerd stated, just staring at me, he didn't have an instrument on his body to make those deductions. What a truly remarkable power.

"..You…. ehm… you could have been… a great… doc.." I tried to breathe out, struggling to even keep my body upright, but leaning down on my arms.

"Or a great torturer." He smiled. "I prefer to watch the victims suffer and see their status than to aid them."

"You… You're a sadist..? With a gift…. like that…?" I couldn't believe it, so much good could have come from his power, why was he using it like this? "What on earth… happened… to make you… like that?"

"The same that has happened to us all." Rahfel stated, yanking the chains down as I hit the ground forcefully, my jaw felt sore, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

"This world is cruel… don't you think so, Colors?" Shade moved down, and picked my head up. "They tell you that you can succeed and be whatever your little heart desires to be. Gain whatever you want, achieve higher wonders..! But what they fail to tell you is all the lies. Children are lied to by adults about made-up things like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. But you can handle that disappointment. It's the disappoint that comes when we're older that's far more frightening and scarring. Yes… that's when Man becomes the monster under your bed, or the fact that money means the most in this world beside family or friends… How even the colors are mere lies played by our own eyes." He looked my eyes over, seeing the blue in them instead of the white with the rainbow stream under them, and leaned his head back, as if finding something amusing in the difference of color.

"We even lie to ourselves, Colors… The world is full of lies and deceits. Why fight it, though? Why not make the lie… the truth too?"

He was speaking like a mad man! A brilliantly cunning and right mad man! But there was a strangeness in his words that clung to my mind, that made me wonder if he was really right or wrong.

"You've even lied to yourself… claiming your not hero… and yet doing heroic things? But what even makes you worse, underdog hero, is that you fail to see the underdog… even in yourself."

I flinched.

"You're not a hero. You borrowed that power. And whatever it is… I'm going to use it… through you or without you." He put both hands on my head and moved it back. Leaning closer, he whispered again, "Colors… I'd rather have you." His warm breath would have been nice in the cold of the night, but with the heat of the scourging pain that had just been inflicted on me, and with my body having gone through the painful memory again, it was almost like a breath from hell.

"Colors… listen to me…" he was gentler now, moving my weakened frame due to his advantage over me in his hands, moving me towards him. He placed my head on his chest, resting his on mine, and gently stroked my cheek. "I want that power with you… I only want to help you… and people like us who are misunderstood and mistreated…" he whispered so kindly to me, that trickster of darkness. Like the devil's advocate, leading with an allure of lies to sway him to his reasoning and twisted lies. "I only want to give you happiness… in a world ruled by me and chaos. Where you can destroy or grant life as you wish it. Where you can hurt the people that have hurt you, and love the people you we're forbidden to love before. Colors… listen to me…"

I closed my eyes, trying to tune him out. I was on the brink of collapsing into his arms, just letting go of all life and struggle in me. I wouldn't go without saying my last bits of truth, the things I knew we're true though.

"You speak of lies… in the world… but the greatest lie… is the ones you make for yourself… to the ruin of others… who believe… and follow such lies." I had only enough energy to turn slightly, to look him straight up in the eye, him now holding me down on his lap.

"Grey… your grey is to dark… to black." I began again, my words more of a hushed breath than a whisper, causing him to lean his head down to hear me. "Justice… there is a lie… but in it… is also so much truth…. Evil must be punished… wickedness destroyed… happiness… is not a lie. The lie is… what you do… to gain that happiness…" Each word was filled with so much of my hatred for him, but I spoke the truth with so much force, so much power in my eyes…

At least… I tried.

Judging by his expression, I think I hit a nerve somewhere…

Somewhere deep down,… he was enraged at how I could fight him so much.

How I could see the truth, being choked and entangled in his lies,… to get so many people to follow him blindly into the dark of his madness.

A sudden explosion knocked me out.

As I slept, Sparkles had somehow miraculously started communicating with me again, and showing me what was happening, kinda like a dream…

Through Sparkles's eyes, I could see her materialize in the ventilation. She couldn't stand my screams of pain, and as the darkness came crawling upward towards her, she flew through the tunnels and finally outside.

That explains why the darkness didn't find her.

She had flown up, and unable to use her powers alone, brought through the clouds a large message. HELP.

Looks like all those English lessons paid off.

Apparently, cops we're already looking for the rebellion site when Sparkles showed them the way with her sign. But this explosion…

Sparkles flew to the roof, and watched for me… it was incredible… because we had combined so many times… She could connect to me mentally, or I her, something like that. It made me wonder how different I was due to letting an Alien inside me, and it giving me the ability to use its power….

As I continued to let the dream guide my thoughts, Sparkles looked to see only three people down below in her sights. James, Ellie, and Rahfel move back, as something emerged from the rubble of the broken through wall.

"Ello! Sorry to barge in like this but I heard from a cop or two that you guys we're planning something seriously-" He suddenly noticed me.

It was Jet.

Oh, Jet! Help me! Sparkles! You brought Jet to me! Thank you!

Sparkles couldn't hear my words though, as she looked on, only showing me with her power what was happening, through our mental link…

Maybe… this wasn't a dream?

Could it be… that she was manipulating lights in my eyes while I slept? Or maybe using light in my mind's vision? After all, your eyes just send signals to your brain, but it's your brain that really tells you what you're looking at.

How much stronger would that link grow… the more times we combined?

"Colors…" He breathed out, shocked to see me so beaten up, with my old outfit in shreds and only my hero's attire to cover me up, but still, blood and lashes could still be seen even if I had double layers on.

Rahfel uncoiled his chains from around me, as Jet slowly rolled his sight up to them.

Shade looked up, not even flinching at Jet's arrival. "Ah, the sidekick of Rocket Man." He picked me up bridal style, as the remaining chains from Rahfel draped off my limp body and all returned up his long sleeves…

Oh…! JET! JET MAKE HIM LET GO OF ME!

It was trippy to see my body, but even worse to see his psychotic hands holding me!

I mentally screamed, extremely upset how he held me like I was his property or something!

Jet was silent, shocked by my state as Ellie stepped forward. "I got this, Shade!" She let out a see through wave of layers, probably to inflict past pains on him like she did to me too! It looked like a heat wave traveling to him, but he dodged it, flying upward and slamming down back into the building. This caused the floor to cave in, as he flew toward me and grabbed me from Shade's falling grasp.

He flew to the roof, where Sparkles squeaked in fright and hid behind a chimney top. He set me down slowly, and looked at my face, moving his hand through my hair and seeing where the whips of Shade's blackened vines had slightly cut my hair out of proportion.

With a tightening of his fist as he held a bit of my hair to his face, he looked about ready to kill something, as he flew back down.

Sparkles flew over to me, squeaking in fright.

Wait… Sparkles… I'm looking through your eyes. Can't you tell?

Was it… Not Sparkles that was doing this? Could it be she didn't know I could see through her eyes?

Sparkles tried to open my eyes, wanting to jump back in and see if I was alright, as far as I assumed, but I was too knocked out and she couldn't shift and keep my eyes open anyway. She started to cry softly, "Li…Lilah… Wak… Wak.." she tried to call to me, and tell me to wake up, as she pawed my face. "Lilah… no dei… no dei…" No die… no die… Oh Sparkles, I'm alive! I'm here! Please don't cry… Little one, please don't cry…

She was a like a child… after all.

She must have been so scared, and seeing me get hurt,… that must have been traumatic for her.

After a while, Sparkles finally had the bright idea to use her foot to open my eyes, and in mid shift, jump into just one of them. Her foot almost didn't make it into ball form, which would have been very painful to have a bunny's foot try and plunge itself into my eye, but thankfully she got in alright.

It was black now, I couldn't see anything… I just felt later on a pair of arms pick me up, and wind against my face….

I flew over to my uncle's house, resting Colors down on our old guest bed room. The bed was so huge for her though, it felt a little weird to set her on it.

"Gramps! Gramps!" I called for my uncle, as the old man came in with a bath robe on.

"What in the world..?" He saw Colors, and looked to me.

"What is the meaning of this? Al-"

"It's Colors, she was being tortured by Shade and his men!" I quickly spoke out, "I went on the raid to the rebellion site with the cops…"

"I told you to leave that to the government! We have more pressing matters at-"

"Shade is a pressing matter!" I shouted back at him, standing straighter, and threatening him now, something I would normally never do out of respect for the old geezer. "…If I didn't go… they might of killed her." I explained. "You can't keep treating Dark Destiny's son like a minor interference. He's becoming more and more a threat, and we're just letting him do it!"

"….I'm glad you got the girl out safely, Aldin. But you disobeyed-" He was gonna start scolding me again, really? Now of all times?!

"Are you really disregarding him cause he was once a sidekick? You don't think he could… I don't know, evolve into a real super villain!?"

He sighed deeply, lowering his chin and slightly moving his head to the side, but never taking his regal gaze off of me.

I hated that look.

I flipped my arms up and walked away a moment, before turning back around to him.

That look was like a king trying to contemplate the best strategy to calm a rebellion and avoid war.

When sometimes… when you need to get your point across, little bit of fighting can be more helpful in understanding issues than just remaining silent and trying to avoid confrontation.

"I never said that, Aldin. I'm only thinking in concerns for yourself. You could have been injured, acting on your own like that. It's dangerous."

"Oh, so now instead of recognizing Shade as the next top villain, I'm suddenly the sidekick that can't act like the next top hero!?" I stood to the side, putting a hand on my head like an over glorified facepalm, just being really done with him sometimes…

Don't get me wrong, I loved the old fart, but he could really be a stinker sometimes…

Haha, like my pun?

But right now wasn't really the time for puns, as I walked up and stared right up at the old man, before taking a breath and just looking squarely straight with a tight line upon my face, clenching my jaw. I've already realized that trying to convey emotions and thoughts to this statue wouldn't break his mold…

I had too much respect for the guy to really say anything more on the topic, but hey, I'm still a kid, I'm gonna wanna fight some more, but at least,… for now?

I'll pick my battles.

That's when I just turned away and went to address Colors…

She had blood around her where those weird 'ghost chains' were grabbing her and stripes from what looked to be a fight, and it seems she didn't make it out too well…

She was a rookie, after all…

A cute rookie.

But she better not be a dead one, as long as I'm here, she won't be, anyway.

"We have an injured girl on our hands, Richard!" I still couldn't keep my voice calm with the conversation we had just had, but at least I could give him the courtesy of moving on.

"Could you maybe be so kind as to call a doctor?" I leaned over her, putting my hands on either side of her and gave him a face of obvious 'Hmm? Don't you think so? Isn't that what's best?' and pulling my lips back into a sarcastic smile so he would further get my point.

I was tried of talking to him, but I did need some help with her wounds…

"…R-right… but get her out of that attire. We wouldn't want our covers blown." He headed downstairs.

"Right… attire…"

"Off…?"

I moved away from her, my face turning bright red, as I shook off the thought.

Heh, that crazy old man didn't even think about what he was saying to a teenage hormonal boy, did he?

"It's so we can help her, it's not like I'll do anything! Ehem…" I took a deep breath, squinting my eyes so that maybe I could blur the image so I could still hold some virtue after this.

As I began moving closer to her, I noticed her eyes suddenly began to move slightly, like a tremble.

Was she waking up?

Oh, awkward!

But then a bright light shined forth from her eyes, as she opened them quickly, and a freakin' jack rabbit flew straight at me and started clawing my face!

"UGAHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHHAHA!"

I moved away, trying to grab it and tear it off my face, I wiggled my whole upper body around trying to get this.. this thing off of me!

"WHAT EVEN ARE YOU!?" I fell backwards, as the thing flew off my face, it's tail was a rainbow that glowed in the dark room, as it looked like it wanted to box me as it moved it's paws like a fist fighter, cartoonly threatening me. "…what?" I moved my face forward, not believing what I was seeing. I mean, I've seen stranger, but a floating bunny?

"Afu! Agga Suti!" it spoke, and I only blinked my eyes. "…Ah!" it seemed to realize I couldn't understand it, and growled out a really weird version of English. "Abu…. Frreind… Bu-..buddah..?"

"…Buddy?" I raised my eyebrow, still… kinda creeped out this thing just jumped out from a cute chick's face.

It smiled, happy it got the point across, but then did the whole boxer threat with its pawed fists rotating in a circular motion again.

"Oh um…" I tried to sit up a bit, but it faked a thrust toward me, before flying back away. "Woah! Hey! I'm trying to talk here!"

"H…harrrrmmm?" It asked.

"Harm? What? No, I'm trying to help!"

That seemed to trigger something in it, as it looked surprised and didn't seem like it wanted to hurt me anymore.

I guess the word 'help' was something it knew.

Putting it's paws down, it floated slightly toward me, face to face almost, and staring me down innocently.

"Hwelp?" it asked.

"Yes,…um… I want to.. help ..the woman you just flew out of." I stated, still not really believing I was talking to a rabbit, but… okay.

The little rabbit seemed overjoyed, rushing into my chest, she stated, "Abu! Freind!"

"I think you mean, friend." I slightly laughed out, letting the tension leave me. "Now if you excuse me…" I tried to push it off my chest and get up, but it only let me get up and then tackled my face again.

"FRIEND!" it shouted, it was kinda cute, but I didn't have time to think about how disgusting it was to have flown out of Colors's eyes just a few seconds ago.

"Would you just-!?" I pushed it off of me, and held it out in front of me. "Look, there's a princess in need of saving. She's very hurt, stop being an obstacle!" I tucked the little thing under my arm and moved back over to Colors. She looked asleep still, even after that blast of light and the bunny thing… but she looked peaceful.

"Still beautifully tragic." I stated, smiling.

I went for the mask at first… slowly pulling it off, and gasped.

"No… it can't be."

I let the bunny down as it finally wiggled loosed, as it flew to her and placed a paw on her face. "Lillah… lillah.. .wak wak…" she seemed so sad, but I was just so shocked.

"It's…..It's…." I gripped my head with both my hands.

"It's Lily!"

Then I smiled,

"Hot dog!"

I arched my back in a bounce and snapped my fingers.

I then returned my hands to my head.

"Oh man… Oh… two cuties in one body… my day just got a whole lot better."

I then looked to the rabbit thing.

"Eeeexcept that part."

It looked at me, not quite understanding I suppose, and just gave me a huge, kitty-cute kinda open smile.


	9. A Hero's Identity

Colors

Ch. 9

(- watch?v=X2Me2zHo4dw –How Effects should look when bending light. (Or check out the other videos too, I like the 'ribbon' effect more.

\- watch?v=qu3uASbmEtg –How Sparkles flies and kinda looks, but her ears are down and more hairy lol xD)

A Hero's Identity

By: Cutegirlmayra( I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time! I've had some health issues and then went back to fanfiction for a while. But, here I am! Haha, gonna try and get this next part done and over with. This is now Jet's point of view, I had a way of making dashes or something to show the change in perspective but Ficitonpress doesn't support that and so it didn't do work, leading to confusion. Sorry about that… but here's the next chapter! And I'm happy you've stuck with me so far :) please continue to support me as I edit and go through to finally get further and deeper into this wonderful world… of Colors! )

I was downstairs, after I had the saving grace of the Butler, Jankins, change Lily's clothes for me. That way, I could keep my dignity; and the guy had kids, was older, so thankfully Richard figured out what he had said and quickly made adjustments…

However, I'm sure she'll be thankful he got her out of that and into my mother's old nightgown. It was WAY too big for her, haha! But he was able to slip it on her with no problems, hopefully, that will do her some justice.

The butler came down shortly after, Mr. Jeffery Jankins, with his ever proper British accent and his long, lanky body. He wore deep satin black with his white shirt and bowtie, so proper; you'd swear HE was the guy who was rich, not us.

"Master Aldin, I presume the young woman in the guest bed with the ridiculously oversized nightgown formerly worn by your mother is… your friend?" he straightened himself up during the first bit of his talking, and rearranged some pillows I messed up on the couch, before looking disbelievingly over to me and asking that question.

"Is it so humorous to think I might actually have a friend?" I asked Jankins, as he rolled his eyes.

"Oh certainly not, Master Aldin. But a female friend is… well,… quite intriguing." He clicked his tongue and winked to me, then walked toward the kitchen. He was totally playing with me now, and I hated the teasing, but slightly smiled at his mischief.

"What dude wakes up this late at night and puts on a suit and tie?" I asked, teasing him right back.

"It's in the job description." He spoke from the open kitchen, and started to get some supplies together for a big meal in the morning, so it seemed.

"Apparently.." I took my drink and gulped it down. There was only one thing I had to do now that Lily was alright…. Lily… the fact that she was Colors blew my mind a little bit.. then again.. she did always seem to be around the trouble…

Even when I first saw her…

Dang, this isn't destiny is it?

That could be a bit weird.

But… kinda fun too.

"I assume the Master knows she's here?" Jankins asked. "Considering he asked me to go up there and fetch you. When I saw the young mistress and you, you told me the details but I'm still a little… uncertain to his awareness of your preventure."

That bunny had ducked under Lily's covers, and I figured it was best to keep that under wraps, for now… anyway.

"Don't worry. He knows. He went to fetch the doctor.."

"Doctor!? Aldin, you're still in your super clothes! Take it off!" He lost his 'good butler' persona and switched back into a normal person, making me smile and chuckle for a second.

"I'm not sticking around, Jankins. I'll come back later.." I set my cup down. After seeing Lily so… so mutilated in his arms like that… and seeing all the blood and whip lashes on her clothes…

I clenched my fist as it shook. Justice had to be given. I was to focused on getting her out of there and then stalling for the cops to come that I didn't even bother getting the proper revenge for her.

My uncle always told me that revenge was wrong, but… Shade had to pay. How could he treat, especially a girl, like that!?

How much of a threat was she to him..?

"Aldin..? Aldin! Master Aldin you-!" Jankins walked over, seeing I was ignoring him, when really I was just tuning things out, and whacked me upside the head. "Where on earth are you going!? And answer me for pete's sake! I can't let you leave without knowing where you're going! Richa-I mean.. the Master will kill me!" his long face and funny stressful panic on his face made me realize he was more concerned about my safety than his own well-being, but was trying to play it off.

I patted his slicked back black hair, turning back into my normal carefree self again. "Don't worry, Jankins. I got this. Now, I need you to tell the old man I'll be out for a while and keep a steady eye on Li-… I mean Colors, alright?"

"Hmm? But where, exactly, are you going?!" He wasn't going to let it be like that, so I simply took a deep breath, smiled and gave him a small salute, before blasting out of the house using my wind powers to propel out of the upper sky window, positioned for takeoffs but disguised as a classy star gazing window. "Ahh! Master Aldin! Why that kid… Offph! AAALLLDDDINN!" Jankins threw his little tissy fit. I loved that guy, he probably wished he had powers to protect me and my uncle too, but sadly, all he could do was mind the house and take care of us when we weren't doing life risking stuff.

It was so late, it might actually be morning in a couple of hours to say the least, when I landed at the junkyard again.

My blood boiled and I felt like a demon was ready to just push itself out of me. I had to get revenge for Lily.. I had to make him pay.

"SHAAADDE!" I called out, looking around. I've never been this mad before. Even when I felt it was my fault for not knowing my brother was so sick… just believing it was a fever and telling him to push through and be a big boy about it… I've hated myself for YEARS for that one. But this wasn't my fault,… which made me madder.

You can't always punch yourself, but you can punch someone else!

I flew at light speeds, looking… searching for any sign that he and his men might of escaped.

It's a common thing they teach you in Heroes school, really. Don't travel alone. That's why most heroes have a sidekick, one friend is better than nothing. But I had to do this alone… just to fight Shade and prove to him he can't do anything he wants too!

What a sick bratt.

What a cowardly loser.

"You shouldn't say that about your worst enemy…"

"What?" A voice had registered in my head, as suddenly a storm of rockets and missiles started blinking in the distance, speedily charging themselves at me.

"Oh crap!" I tried to break, and quickly flew in the opposite direction, then curling my way through the sky to test if the missiles were heat seeking.

They were…

I quickly tried to outmaneuver them and lead them straight for a huge pile of junk, as they somehow dodged it, moving at all kinds of different directions to dodge impact that wasn't me.

"What? These aren't normal missiles!" The rockets started to lose juice, as they exploded in air. The missiles were small but deadly, still racing through the air towards me.

"Alright, no games now!"

I flew down at amazing speeds over pile after pile of hills of this huge junkyard and spiral dived into some of it. With the rapid moments of the wind circling around me, I was like a speeding bullet that crashed and spun the heavy junk away, allowing me to dig through even solid ground.

The missiles followed, except for a few…

I turned my head back, and gasped.

In front of me, the missiles had STOPPED.

In thin AIR.

They literally had hovered in front of the pile I dashed through to wait for me to come out on the other side! Having hung there after flying around to find me!

These were no ordinary missiles, they could think!

They must be fueled by someone who can control them! This was a super power!

I had stopped spinning after the wind had already continued spinning without my added help, and swayed around until the missiles couldn't dodge the quick and speedy movements I made to finally have them hit some junk under ground.

Deflecting was all I could do at this point, I couldn't outrun them, or maneuver them.

I spiraled upward, landing on the ground as a bunch of dirt sprayed every where.

Huffing and puffing for some air, the missiles that hadn't followed hovered in the air again, as if wondering what I was doing, and slowly made their decent down to me, having me completely surrounded.

I lifted my hands up, faking a surrender, as school taught me this was the best way to get the villain out of hiding.

"Is he seriously surrendering?" A guy's voice broke the intense humming and drumming coming from the missiles that had sparks and fire blazing out the other ends of them. the fact that they hovered and didn't move seemed to break all known science, but I figured there must have been someone controlling them anyway, so it wasn't that ground breaking.

Ha, get my joke?

Heroes school also taught you to use humor to remain calm, and use the logic of deduction to figure things out sometimes.

It came in handy.

Some figures started surfacing, as I spotted Shade walking down a hill of junk, and looking down at me.. smiling.

He was high above me, since these humongous junk piles could stretch to some ridiculous heights.

The second I saw his the red in his eyes though…

Is when all my anger boiled up inside me again…

I ducked my head down, ready for anything.

"Come back for round two, eh?" his smirk was sickening! I could only glare though… but my rage was building… did he look at her with those same, cruel, blood lusting, and cold eyes?

I remained silent, as he spoke again, gesturing to his friend it seemed.

"What's he saying, Pierce?" he asked, as a little wind sped by him and his little gang. Seemed their party of followers were either taken or bailed on them. Maybe even hiding out…

The one he gestured to had a blind fold over his eyes, and faced me.

"….Is Colors alright?"The voice was back in my head, and I shook it away. "Don't fear. This is how I communicate."

I looked up at him, and scoffed. Get out of my head.

"I only wish to know if she lived!" his voice sounded sincere enough.

Why do you want to know?

"I… regret." He admitted.

Oh really?

Good for you.

"Pierce…" Shade looked back to his man, looking impatient. "What is he saying?"

Pierce looked to him, stretching his mouth in a thin line. But I couldn't hear his voice anymore.

"Well, make him talk." Shade almost growled out. "I need to know he came alone.."

Pierce nodded, and turned his head back to me.

"Well?"

She's fine, but badly hurt.

".. Tell her Pierce is sorry.."

He looked back to Shade.

"Perfect. Alone." Shade grinned. "Tell me, Jet. For what purpose have you come here to die? It's not Colors, is it?" His voice was getting on my nerves. Who did this kid think he was, anyway?!

"Surrender yourselves or I'll have to use force." I stated, putting my hands to my head, they were getting a little sleepy being held up this long.

I might have looked cocky and calm, but all I wanted to do was slam into that punk and teach him a lesson he would never forget…

"Heh, excuse me?" Shade turned behind him and looked to his men. "He…He wants us to surrender." He mocked my words, turning with an amused smile on his face towards his peers.

A loud roar of laughter came from the people around me, and even a few more from somewhere behind the hill he was standing on.

"Why should I surrender when I'm already ahead of the game?" He looked back at me, having no concern for my threat whatsoever. A serious flaw… on his part, for misjudging my power…

"Your hero and his friends have been ignoring me, allowing me to grow strong and even get away with some… ehm… minor things. But it's the small details you have to watch out for." He waved a finger at me, and started to proceed down the hill again, before he was a small distance away from the missiles, stilled aimed at me.

I looked around, not caring about his mutterings, but school also taught me to pay attention to the villain's ramblings. One, you can sneakily plan a way out of his trap by stalling him out and making him believe you were listening to him. Two, you could overhear some value intel on what his next plan of action may be. Finally Three, my favorite part…

Counter precautions.

I scouted out the boy that had his hand up, it looked like each finger that moved down, moved the corresponding missile down, before he made sure they all hovered up again. However, whose hand doesn't shake when lifted up and held there for so long? His hand was getting tried, just like my arms, and I could tell by the stress and sweat on his face that it wouldn't be long now before he had to drop the missiles.

"It's a crying shame." I turned back to him, after looking around a bit. 7… maybe 6 guys were around him, ready to defend. Maybe a few more in the background, extra backup, I assumed.

The only real problem was creating my dramatic turn around.

But then again, I've always been creative with an entrance.

Why not a battle royale?

"You really should have been a bit less harsh to Colors, she was one of those small things… that makes A BIG difference." I took my arms and crossed them over my body, before curling up slightly and then shouting out when the small wind around me shelled into a quick wind that I released. Having built it up, it was more powerful now, so powerful, that the missiles were blown off and hit the junk hills, spraying large debris everywhere, and hitting some of the men like I had hoped, burying them under.

I even saw a washing machine slam down on some unfortunate fellow, but right now, Shade was the only objective in my mind…

"So, you want to play a big shot hero, hey? Come to redeem the fallen heroine?" Shade let a large blast of mist escape from him, it leaked out his being from around him, below and under his long jacket trails. It covered a little of his left side and down to his legs, seeming to seep from him, as vines whipped around the area, growing and increasing in length as they came over to me.

"Here, Jetsie, Jetsie." He called, chuckling silently, as if coaxing me in on his little trap. He stepped back a little, leaning down and getting ready to fight me when I came close enough.

Why does everyone call me Jetsie?

Is it really that mocking?

I blasted a few wind strikes at him, using my hand to direct the wind's movements. I kept the shell around me again, and slashed through it. The air shot forward like a vertical razor that cut through his vines.

They hissed and arched back like a snake and dispersed into nothing with each hit, but Shade kept smiling.

"Quit playing with me!" I cried out, enraged at how little a threat he saw me to be.

He rose up in the air, the darkness around him pushing him up, as it seemed to slightly materialize…

I watched, letting my head move up with his continued increase of height, before I took another gust of air into my shell of wind that literally was so fast it was impossible to touch me through it.

I blasted some to the pillar of spiky and wispy darkness but it just de-materialized, and became mist again.

"W-what!?" I went straight through it and pummeled my way down into a dive till I reached the ground. Shade just turned his shadowy pillar around, as he spread his arms out, having a vine of darkness come out like a clawed throne behind him, as he thrust his hands down to me.

I quickly thought up a strategy and dived further into the ground, trying to create a big enough circular hole around the pillar to topple it from below. Encaving it or having it collapse from lack of sturdy ground beneath it, I guess you could say.

The that didn't work, the second I popped my head out of the ground my wind had faded, and the pillar did fall slightly with the ground collapsing, but it spread out even more and just looked like the bottom of a tree with large roots.

The vines were still plummeting down to get me, and before I could dash the darkness drived itself into my hide, and whipped repeatedly at me. It even shifted it's shape into a tipped ball and punching me down further into a massive junk pile near me.

"Do you really think you can save her from me?! Colors is mine! And her power will belong in my control! It's best you and your careless heroprepare to fall! In fact, tell all your dumb little heroic friends that no one will stop me from creating my perfect chaotic paradise! HAHAHAH!"

That was it.

"AHHAHA-..WHAT?!" Shade saw my hand reach out and stop a shadowed vine from striking me, it wiggled and tried to get out of my grasp,..

But I don't think so…

"W..what? What are you doing!? Urk!" He tried to recall it back, as the other vines joined the main one, making it bigger and stronger. With each struggle it pulled me further and further, slowly but surely, out of the mess of junk it threw me into in the first place, until I could finally dash out. I skyrocketed out of the hill and caused a wake of flying junk to spill out from it.

Letting go of the large pillaring tentacle looking ink vine, I stammered up to my feet on the loose junk, as it reeled itself ready to strike again.

"No! You're smarter than you look!" He threw the large vine out to slam me back down again, like a freakin' behemoth that could scare even a whale!

Long range attacker, eh?

"Thank you!" I called back, and then built up some more wind as I flew through the air, collecting it into the spiral shell around me, trying to desperately not have it broken through almost like last time's assault had done. I had tried to form one previously while being striked, but my arms kept getting hit, making me break the pattern of the circling wind, or just being smashed through by the brute force of those vines!

"Why don't we settle this like real men! En garde!" I expanded my shell, to make it more noticeable, as he suddenly realized my defensive play.

I shot a powerful sonic boom at him, punching the wall of my air shell and causing the currents to knock his flexible pillar back. I then spun at light speeds around it, as he gripped his throat, choking from lack of air.

"Give up yet?!" Once I saw he was getting really weak, and the pillar and darkness started to seep back into him or disperse away, causing him to descend back towards ground level.

I flew way out, and turned around, getting as much speed as I could, and raced back.

I still remember it. The fear in his eyes, the shock, the hatred, the madness…

His red eyes looked to me, his mouth open to gasp for air, and his other arm keeping him up off the ground, but he was on his knees. Pfft! He looked pitiful! He was just some snot-nose kid! Just like I thought!

I was getting ready, hooking my arm back, and tightening my fist to lay a finishing, last shot, blow. Droving my fist at him, I aimed for his pathetic face! When…

He smiled.

He took his hand off his throat…

And spread his fingers as far out as he could, making sure his hand was as flexed out as possible.

Was he trying to stop me with his bare hands?

A void of darkness opened up,… and sucked me in at my lightning speeds.

I couldn't break at that velocity, but the darkness quickly engulfed me as I flew at break neck speeds into some kind of portal. It was if I was stopped by sheer nothingness, no wind, no anything…

It was like a completely other dimension... this other world…

A black hole?

I was then rapidly assaulted with pressure, whips, and felt myself contorted. This realm of dark matter was ripping myself apart! I couldn't even hear my screams of pain. Couldn't see anything. Only feel the floating blood that came from me stay in place, not even move as if gravity didn't exist.

I thrashed through it, each phase was morphed into energy and then broken back into matter that created my physical being, only to be tortured yet again by the wave of pressure and vines. What was this? This horrible place?

Like I was trapped in some silly mirror in a carnival attraction!

I was then flung out, feeling a hand grab me by my fabric on my shoulder near my neck, and throw me out.

I collapsed on the ground, as Shade wiped a bit of blood off his hand, flicking it to the ground.

"I usually don't have to throw people in there…" he stated, as someone from the side ran up, and took a piece of their own shirt and wiped off the blood on his hands.

What was he? Some kind of king to them?

I could barely look up at him, as I turned to see him.

DANG IT! I couldn't even get a freakin' scratch on him!

He breathed heavily. "Alright… Jet. I'll let you live with that warning to give to your allies. If… they are.. against me. They shall… die." He slowly started to walk past me, his red eyes were now glowing, as the darkness consumed his frame. "If not..? They are under my protection. That.. is all." He was getting his breathing back, before walking literally into the ground of black mist as he disappeared.

Another portal?

The others followed after him, jumping in the misty black hole below. I struggled to try and stand, but just kept falling on my stomach as they all took off.

He literally had an army…

And I would bet my last experience that they were all supers too!

Poor kids, turned evil by that creeps insanity.

That's why Rocketman and I always tried to recruit new Supers to the good side as quick as possible… before they end up evil or worse. Hurt like Colors…

Lily…

Pierce ran up, and took off his wrapping to look at me with his black sockets, and yellow piecing eyes, almost animalistic.

"Remember to tell Colors."

Was all he said through my mind, before looking into the hole.

"D…don't.." I reached my hand out to him. I was so beaten up I could barely breathe, blood was in my mouth, and I could only speak the words I wanted to through my mind.

Don't go… You could be helpful to us… please… if you don't want to do this then-!

"…I… have no choice.. if I were to betray him. I would be your ally… and … I would lose his protection."

"H…he.." He won't win! We're the good guys, remember!? Good guys don't-!

"He would of killed you… but he doesn't want just you. He wants Rocket man... the man who killed his father. And then all the super heroes after him."

"P..ea.." Please!

Pierce looked away from me, and shook his head. "Heroes are about to become extinct. I… I fear death. But I fear Shade's form of death even more…"

And with that, he jumped in, as the void of darkness circled up and closed itself.

A demonic hiss was left in its place, as a small wisp lunged upward, opening its tip like a spiked mouth, and then faded away.

-A few hours later-

A Junk man, driving his construction truck, was doing his daily run of dumping more junk into this forsaken waste land of filth before he finally saw me.

It had been a while since anyone took up work here, and I guessed this man just came back from 'vacation', after hearing the cops report there was no evil activity going on anymore, and it was safe to work there again.

He must have recognized me, cause he took me home and his wife just went crazy over having a famous sidekick at her place.

Bloody, but still famous.

The second I got my strength back, I flew out of there, still shaky and not able to maneuver myself well, I somehow landed on my uncle's roof.

Jankin's opened a hatch on the top of the roof, looking around before seeing me, and spazzing out. "Master Aldin!" he bumbled over to me as I collapsed, and helped me inside….

-Returning to Lily's point of view-

After awaking to an odd butler trying to use big clips for clothes lines to tighten an even odder looking nightgown on me so that my, Quote, "Clothes don't keep sagging and revealing too much of my shoulders and chest." Yeah, you could say I was genuinely confused.

"W..where am I?"

"Well, you're in my Master's home. I'm Jeffery Jankins, loyal butler extraordinaire! Haha!" he leaned back and let his hands open out, he seemed kinda showy to me, but it was funny, so I let myself laugh lightly.

I was hurting ALL OVER my body… as Jankins saw me getting up and letting a painful gust of air out of my lungs, he tried to explain.

"The doctor came here late in the night, as did, apparently, you. He only stitched you three times, for any deep wounds or gashes, and the rest he just tightly bound." He moved around the huge bed, tidying it up as he then adjusted himself before speaking to me again.

He seemed fast pace, if he could get work done early, then he wouldn't have much to do later in the day. But wasn't that his whole existence? Cleaning everything? Well, I'm sure a butler has to read a magazine or do something for himself every now and again…

"My dear, may I know your name?"

My name… my name!

I touched my face.

NO MASK!

"You..! you saw!" I moved back in the bed, but gently, even if I was afraid. "You know who I am!"

"Uhh.. well, actually no. No, I'm afraid I don't know. That's kinda why I asked…?" he gestured with his hands before clamping them together, leaning forward and trying to understand me, I suppose.

"You know my true identity!"

"Oh, if that's all." He flung his hands out in a small gesture of shoving the worry off and continuing to smooth out the sheets on the bed. "If it's that much of a concern to you, I'll only call you by your first name… which is..?" he stopped all movement, and like a robot, slowly moved over to me, looking directly at me as he kept the 'Is' going until I spoke.

"…" I wanted to see how long he could hold it.

"Issssss… oh come on, everyone needs to breathe….Is?" He made me laugh.

Which hurt to laugh, but he was worth it.

"I'm Lily."

"Lady Lily. A pleasure." He offered me his hand, which I took and shook. I couldn't fear this lovable butler, he was too great! Too funny.

But…

If my mask was off… and I'm in this weird gown then…

The thought of the last person I knew to have gotten me hear skimmed my mind and my face turned the biggest red. "Please tell me who dressed me!?"

"That was I, not to fear, I have 3 little ones back home. I hope you don't mind, but I'm washing your super suit. It did have an awful lot of blood on it…"

I sighed, the worry washing away.

Good.

That would have been a bit extreme, but my mind jumped and I had to clear it over.

I still covered up myself though,… it was still weird to have known this guy did that for me.

But he had the right intentions, and I would have probably thought the same for someone else who was wounded, so I let it go with that thought.

"Now then." He helped me out of bed, moving me gently and letting me lean on him for support. "I've made pancakes." He patted my hand, and I smiled. What a nice man.

Suddenly, two huge and hairy dogs, charged into the room.

Sparkles, who had been hiding under the pillow, like I told her too, shrieked her little heart out and hit the back of the bed's frame, before flying upward, still having the pillow block out her body except her rainbow tail, and suddenly hit the ceiling, hiding up in the rafters.

"Good heavens!" The man looked up, apparently I was right. He had never seen Sparkles before.

"Sparkles, get down here!" I called to her, as the two large dogs came up, sniffing me. "Uhh… sir?" I was leaning back as much as possible, but these things came all the way up to almost my chest!

"Haha, have no fear, my dear! These are The Master's and Young Master's dogs. This is the ever big lovable Lug." He nodded his head toward the dog. "A fine Saint Bernard with a love for destroying only the finest of pillows and cushions."

The dog sneezed, stepping back to do so before woofing up a stinky greeting at me, and having the butler take a hand away from supporting me and wipe his face of saliva that was sprayed up in his eye.

Luckly, I had dodged, turning my face away, but I dared not touch my hair…

"Ehem, yes. Well." He took his white gloved hand and rubbed his fingers together, seeing as he would have to wash them anyway, he made sure the saliva didn't go anywhere else on him. "The beautiful red Tibetan Mastiff to your left, is old Maximus. A lion hearted dog who wouldn't even be able to jump to get a Frisbee. No. He would just open his ginormous mouth and let it fly right in. Not even having to swallow it." Jankins patted the old dog's head, who breathed quick huffs of air like a dog usually does and kept his tongue out to be admired by me.

"Well… your masters sure have a big family." I joked around, as we moved past the big dogs.

"Now, now, fall back. Away and onward. Let's go, boys!" he called the dogs and whistled back to them when we pushed our way through them.

He helped me down on a chair and smiled. "You wouldn't have a family I'd need to call to tell your alright to, would you dear?" he asked, putting on an apron to get my breakfast, it seemed. "They must be awfully worried about you."

"That's very charming of you, but I'm afraid I don't have anyone to call." I stated, looking over to see Lug eyeing me, gently butting his head to my side for some attention.

I let him sniff my hand at first, before finding his giant tongue could slurp up my hand and literally hold it in his mouth, before opening it to let it out, only to lick and drag it right back into that cave of puppy wonders again. I giggled, petting him and then having Jankins rush over and help me move over to the sink to wash my hands. Muttering something about not having spit on my food.

"Really, Mi'lady? No one at all? Do you at least work someplace? I could call your boss and let him know you won't be around for some time." He was really reaching, trying to find out more about me it seems. "But I guess I could understand no family… most super heroes don't seem to have a big one, anyway." I thought he was making a joke, but he seemed to be genuine about that comment.

He got up and brought me back some pancakes, which I was really happy to see.

After quitting that dreadful detective agency I moved on to the small crafts shop where I got the fabrics and other things for my super hero costume. I worked as a Seamstress, to help costumers who couldn't do it themselves.

It was decent pay, at least…

"No… I'm really on my own, so to speak." Sparkles had flown into my lap, crying out in terror as Maximus bounded after her. He didn't seem to be trying to hurt her, but he did want to play and chase after her. "He's not gonna hurt you, Sparks." I assured her, petting her on my lap as she jumped up for me to hold her, and stuck her tongue out at the large dog. "Asu!" she spat out, and the dog tilted his head, lifting his ears up. He must have been trying to understand her.

Jankins opened his mouth to ask, wiping his hands on a dishtowel, before shaking his head and turning away, deciding it best to not question about the magical rabbit. After all, my answers weren't very informative, so I suppose he figured it would be the same for the bunny explanation.

Lug barked a little, frightening me and Sparkles, as he wagged his tail. He must of thought Sparkles wanted to play or something cause he ran to Maximus, then back to me and licked my arm, only to bounce back and charge Maximus. Poor Maximus, he just lifted his head away from Lug, as if the old man in him couldn't stand the puppy in Lug, and solemnly walked away, quite slowly really.

"How old is Maximus?" I asked, looking to Jankins.

"Old." He smiled, and even formed an 'O' with his mouth when saying it, to really expound upon the matter. "Now then, eat up. You need your strength for-" he was taking off the apron and wiping his hands again on it when an old man walked into the room.

He had a red and white bathrobe on, his morning attire I guess, the one old people wear when their rich and it's kinda chilly in the house.

He was wearing slippers and had a mug in his hands, as he looked to me, and nodded. "My dear." He stated his greetings.

He had blonde hair that was quite long, all the way to his shoulders and a little bit longer in the back. He had a beard that covered his chin but made him look almost regal, and you could tell he took care of his appearance because his hair was shiny and his beard was trimmed perfectly.

Maybe he was an old man version of Thor.

"Ah, Lily, this is The Master. Richard-" Jankins had walked around the open kitchen to the man, standing on his side before he put an arm around Jankins.

"Just Richard… Jankins." He smiled, and patted the man's back. "We have identities to keep."

I wondered why he said that. "Are you a super hero too?" I asked, being blunt about it.

"W-well… uh…" Jankins looked to me, worried, and then back to his master, scared.

"I may be. But that's none of your concern. What were you doing in Shade's clutches last night?" he asked, which made me believe he was a hero, if he knew about Shade.

"I was-" before I could finish, I heard steps coming down the stairs and looked over. The dogs were sitting down now, listening and just observing the scene before their heads whipped back, towards the sound. They bounded off and barked as…

"Aldin!?" I gasped, no, exclaimed? I don't even know right now, but how is ALDIN here!?

"Ugh… keep it down. It's too early to be shouting out names." He rubbed his eyes, having on some normal clothes but he looked pretty beat up, even having a black eye.

"Great scotts, boy! Where'd you get that black eye!" Jankins looked to his master, than back at Aldin, as if he was playing off that he didn't know about that.

"Aldin!" Richard walked over to the table and put his mug down, before going over to Aldin and holding him in place, looking him over. "You look like you've been to the underworld and back." He stated.

"I… Ehem.. might of." He stated, and then turned to me. "Looks like sleeping beauty's okay…"

"Yes, the doctor tended her. Now I'm afraid he may have to attend you."

Aldin rolled his eyes, piffing at his… uncle? He did say he lived with his uncle right? And moved over to the counter, where I was, sitting next to me. "I'm fine.." he stated, after swatting weakly a moment ago at his uncle's hands to get him to let go of him.

"You look terrible, boy." Richard scoffed. "What on earth did you..?"

"I… found out some things. I'm fine."

Jet took me home… why am I at Aldin's house? Did he drop me off at a rich guy's house? A friend's? Unless…

"Are you Rocketman?" I turned to Richard, who froze at my question, as I turned to Aldin. "And are you … Jet?"

Aldin looked up at me, his head hanging on the counter as if he didn't have the energy to lift it up and rolled over, as he smiled.

My eyes widened, and I quickly looked at my pancakes.

I scarfed those suckers down as quickly as I could, tearing through them to release all the screaming that was happening inside my head.

"Oh my." Jankins placed a dainty hand up to his mouth, shocked by my behavior.

"At least she copes well with surprises." Aldin muttered, and picked a piece of pancake off my plate, and ate it.

I literally looked to him like he offended me by reaching for MY FOOD on MY PLATE.

I slammed my utensils down and then looked away, before glaring at him.

"Hehe… you did that too.. at the cafeteria? You totally slam things when you get something wrong, don't you?" he looked up at me, chuckling weakly.

"Wift ywor wead wup wan twell wme why ywou wlied wto wme!" I said, through stuffed cheeks. My mouth was so full of food I didn't know if he could even understand me.

"Come again?" he stated, lifting his head up as I chewed and swallowed quickly. I had to make a sound as I swallowed, because I needed to then swallow more air right after that.

"I said, lift your head up and tell me why you lied to me!"

"I never lied to you." He stated, placing a hand on his cheek before saying "Ow!" and looking at his hand before taking the other hand and touching his face, before wincing at that too, and looking at both his hands oddly.

I punched him on his shoulder.

"AHHH!... ahh…" he held his arm and turned in harsh pain, before slowly moving his face to me, seeming upset.

"You never said you were Jet! The sidekick of Rocket Man!" I declared.

"You never asked..?" he breathed out, trying to play himself off as innocent.

I punched him again.

"A-HA! Emm.." he bit his lip, trying hard not to scream out in pain as he screamed out a bit inside his mouth.

Jankins squirmed, as if wanting to step in but having learned not to interrupt a conversation when a woman was mad.

"I asked you about yourself! You told me about your family and brother… but not this!" I went to punch him again but Jankins looked to Rocket Man, I mean Richard, and he looked back at him before Jankins rushed over and grabbed my arm.

Seeming to have been given permission to finally act…

"Oh please, Lady Lily! Please! He's already hurt as it is!"

"Good!" I kicked him, making him fall out of his chair from the intense pain.

"Mi'lady!" Jankins cried out, horrified I could be so cruel.

"Consider this friendship, OVER!"

"No dates then…?" he teased, groaning as one hand gripping his leg and the other his arm, really seeming to suffer right now while he laid on his side to the ground. "And I was hoping to ask you to Prom."

"Ha! Yeah right!" I went to finish the job but the dogs got to him for me. Rushing up and licking him to death. Yeah… good boys. Make him suffer.

"I never lied-Hey, lug! Quit it, you big pushover!" he lightly and lovingly shoved him off before pushing Maximus away, and then leaning over to look up at me again. "Ugh… You never asked about work."

Oh my word, he even teased when he was in pain.

Wait… was that pain.. from…

I suddenly looked away, losing some of my anger as I realized that could have been from saving me…

"That's right. I must enroll you at the Heroes school. You need to be examined by Dr. Ram and assigned as a Super at once." Richard quickly moved to the phone, breaking me away from my thoughts with realizations of reality.

"..Assigned?" I suddenly remembered the rule of Supers. All Supers, found in society, must be enlisted to the Heroes school, and documented as a Super. They're powers and abilities must be tested and documented for government affairs and other such things. I can't let that go on my record!

My life would be ruined!

My freedom stripped from me!

I had to try and stop him.

"N-no!" I hid Sparkles when Rocke-I mean, Richard… that may take some time to get used too… when he came in as the old rich man. She was hiding out in my sleeve,… I wanted to use her power to knock the phone away, but I couldn't risk him seeing her.

"Hey… where's that funny bunny of yours?" Aldin had sat up, groaning a bit, before asking, and shoving his dogs away before giving in and grabbing them to wrestle with.

Darn it, Aldin! Keep your mouth shut!

Luckily, Richard was to busy with the phone call to hear him, so I just glared at Aldin.

"What?" He shrugged, not sure what I was mad at, that big dummy!

"A-anyway,… your both much to weak to go anywhere right now, so.." Jankins tried to calm me down, letting me go and helping me sit back properly in the chair, since I had moved my body to the side to kick Jet-Aldin… there are way too many confusing things in my life to keep affecting me this badly…

I wondered a moment about detective Coop… and if he ever got the Boss or not… I wondered about my old delivery job, and what exactly was happening with the bad guys being in league with them.

What were those kids delivering?

It had to be more than money and sleeping pills.

Brutus… what happened to him? If he knew about this evil… would he quit too?

Down to The Evening Bank…

Top of The Morning Bank…

What did that Bank do? Keep villains money? But why then, were there so many… well, I guess you would want a well protected bank, if you were a villain who worried about your bank accounts getting stolen by other villains, I guess…

But still…

This Heroes school… I didn't like the idea of it.

Bagsle… he was there too, right? And I haven't seen him sense!

"You could always hop us on either Lug or Maximus, they'll get us there." Aldin kid, trying to ride his dog Lug before he bounded away, leaving him stuck on the floor again.

"Aldin… is Bagsle.." I wanted to ask so badly, his image of hovering in that swirling vortex of wind, rain, and lightning never left my head…

Wait… he was the one that rushed in on him! He-!

"Bagsle? Oh, you mean Storm Solider. Yeah, he's doing well, actually! Getting good grades and learning to control his powers. Apparently, he can control weather, not just wind and hurricanes." Aldin announced, so calmly, so coolly.. didn't he know what that boy went through before he knocked him out and swept him away..?

Speaking of which…

"Why didn't you listen to me when I-"

"It's settled!" Richard hung up the phone, and looked to me, cutting me off.

"You are to attend there, be tested for power selection to determine what exactly your powers are, and then enroll as a regular student. Hopefully, if you aren't so rebellious as last time, Miss Colors, you can turn out to be a fine hero someday."

"…It's Lily." I stated, and realized where my life was going very quickly after all this.

"And I'm no hero, nor am I a villain. I'm my own kind of Super. I'm neutral." I stated proudly.

"Neutral?" Richard scoffed and then laughed at me, looking to Jankins, who shyly laughed a little too, but was too nervous to keep it up when Richard looked away. "There is no Neutral."

"White and Black… there are never that thoroughly clean cut, don't you agree?" I began and then continued. "There has to be a grey. And I think-"

"Grey? As in take in some evils?" Richard looked at me confused, but also I felt intimidated. This man… was mocking me for my beliefs.

"Ehem…" I didn't look in his eyes… like the last time I faced him… "I mean.. doing some things that seem bad… but for good."

"And I'm guessing doing some good for bad then, yes?" it was demoralizing for him to laugh at me, and now he has to fight me? "Heheh… don't worry. The school will get those ideas right out of your head." He assured me, which frightened me even more, as Aldin looked to him, and then back to me.

"There is a fine line." He stated, and looked me up and down. "Shade should of shown you that line… and I should of shown you the other." He stated, making me look to him and think about it for a moment.

Light and Darkness…

Jet and Shade…

I suppose so…but even still…

I was not going to be their White. Nor their Black.


	10. A Hero's Gift

Colors

Ch.10

(I'm back at it again! Ugh… this is gonna get good, which means, more writing, more plot developing,…-rubs faces with hands while moaning- I just had to commit to writing a book… didn't I?)

A Hero's Gift

I was placed in a weird teleporter after given a free shopping trip up in the rich people's mall. I got to pick out some pretty cute things… considering I was once wearing a torn up attire, being the whole 'neutral hero' thing, and then only having that old and huge nightgown to wear, so it was nice to pick out some good ol'blue jeans and a comfy t-shirt with some pop-culture reference I got. But I was still dreading being forced to go to this… Hero's School, I mean, what are they gonna do? Teach me how to make up quick and cheesy catchphrases on the spot? Pfft, give me a break…

"You know… it's not as bad as you think." Aldin tried to assure me, as he wore his jacket and that purple beanie again, like the first time I saw him save-…ASSIST me with those freshmen kids and then that time I saw him riding on the bike…

"For an up-town kid, you really don't dress the part." I mentioned, not having the chance to really state it before, but I had thought about it.

Back at the cafeteria… that is.

"What's with you and judging people, huh?" He shook his head to me, as he was at an angle to me, and looked up, slightly laughing. "You know, for someone who believes in grey, you seem rather one or the other." Well, that was offensive.

"Excuse me?" I stated, before realizing I kind of was being biased against him and his uncle… just because they were rich heroes doesn't mean they're like the rest of the crop. I folded my arms, "Well… it's just… that's how the world is." I looked away. "Every rich family seems to be the same…"

"Well, they're not. Miss hypocrite." He looked away, not really seeming in a good mood.

I looked back at him, more saddened now. What happened to that cute boy who used to make clever jokes all the time? And that Jet who used to flirt without hesitation either?

I still had his blush…

Red as it could ever be.

Sparkles could store colors, and when we combined, I could toy with some colors that had some significance to it.

…Okay, so the blush was the only thing with any 'significance' right now, but hey, I've been judged enough for one day. Get off my back…

I wondered what had happened… that night he saved me.

What happened after everything went black?

"Now remember, you'll attend a few classes with Jet before Dr. Ram comes to see you." Richard was wearing his uniform, I wasn't allowed in the 'Rocket Cave' as I called it.

"…I don't like this."

"Don't worry, only adults wear there uniform." Aldin assured me, yet again.

"No, not that!" I was getting frustrated, as the teleporter closed its doors, once enough people got onto the circular tube.

A woman was spitting out some things at her husband in the front, seeming to excessively scurry her hand through her purse, and asking over and over again if he had forgotten anything like the car keys and such.

They didn't look super…

"She's been here for 6 months, Helen. Relax, she's fine." The man stated.

"I know, I know… but what if she needs more… I don't know, stuff? What if she's not eating properly, or-"

"She's a super, she'll manage."

The husband had a weird way of comforting her, and I didn't really like it. Why are men so laid back? That's fine and all, if they didn't come off as not caring.

"That's a friend of mines parents, they're not super, but they check on her every now and again, and video call her often or whenever they can." Aldin leaned down and explained it to me, seeing as I wasn't going to clear up my earlier remark on why I didn't like this.

"Oh." I stated, and moved away from him,… he still smelled good. Was it just the jacket?

"Oh, I see how it is." He straightened himself up, and looked back forward.

I was confused, and looked back at him, puzzled. "How what is?"

"You keep to your space, I keep to mine right? Friendship, over, correct?"

Oh… that.

"I was just upset and in shock, we're all good though." He was the only one I could trust, of COURSE I had to stick by him and depend on him for a bit…

Something I would have never done before.

"It's just… I trusted you…"

"Yeah, and you still can." He looked back to me, seeming to drop his bad mood and give me a sweet smile now. "I'm the only guy you can." He stated, and I felt a tinge of fright rise up within me.

Or was that the machine turning on and zapping my particles through the tube and blasting off at the speed of light through a vacuum of somekind?

"We're here." Ric-.. Rocket Man now I suppose, stated as we materialized back, and I was gripping Aldin's arm like a scared cat on a tree branch.

"Aw, did tat widdle teleport scare the widdle cutie-pie? Did it scare her?" He mocked me, treating me like a baby.

I stuck my tongue out at him and punched his arm.

"..Owh…" He shook his arm, keeping his hands in his jacket pockets, and pretended to try and shake the pain off and not look bad.

Oh, but it hurt.

Hehe…

It hurt.

The school was very windy, being up in the sky and all,… and as we stepped out of the building where the teleporter was, I looked around and realized we were floating. The school was on a spinning disk that seemed to rotate gently, very slowly, in place. But I couldn't feel it, I just saw the clouds spinning a bit, but not much.

I was gonna get light headed looking up, so I shook my head and grabbed Aldin's jacket's back like a kid being dropped off at preschool. I was always a bit afraid of this place… and Bagsle… I still didn't really know how he was doing…

There was a huge board in the side of the School's court yard, as it was on the news, and I saw Coop!

"It's Coop!" I quickly let go of Aldin's jacket, and he turned back, feeling the load lighten and looked a bit sad I had left his side.

He must have thought I was cute holding onto him like that…

It WON'T happen again! Hmph.

I ran up to the billboard hologram thing as Aldin and Rocket Man followed me, looking a bit awkward because I said that pretty loudly.

The person on the news started to report.

"Detectives have finally found the culprit behind the black market smuggling and child laborers located under the city of Koleroy. Canid Bollero and his men have been taken into custody to be questioned on exactly what was happening, under Koleroy's very nose."

Coop was only shown standing in front of the police station and smiling, looking good for the camera as I smiled.

He looked alright.

Atta boy, Coop.

Atta boy.

I started tearing up a bit, as Sparkles poked her head out of the bag, and pawed at my neck. "Coo-coo?" Funny enough, that's what she called Coop.

"Yeah…" I wiped my eyes before anything leaked out and embarrassed me. "He's doing alright." I assured her, before realizing who was around and pulled on my backpack straps, shocking her into diving back into my bag as I turned around.

"Hey, is that-" Aldin was about to spoil it, seeing as Rocket Man was looking around for the Doctor he kept telling me about, no doubt.

I reached for that sucker's face, as Aldin almost was flung backwards in shock before I put my hand over his mouth, and glared.

"Wha?" He said through my muffled hand.

I pulled him over and away from Rocket Man, tugging him behind the pillar that the billboard was being projected on.

"Woah, what's the big idea-OHFFPH!" I pinned him against the pole.

"You say one word about my friend, and I'll hurt you."

As threatening as I tried to sound, he only laughed.

"What's wrong with my uncle seeing your friend?" He asked, confused.

"She's mine and I won't have anyone probing her!" I let him go, and looked around.

"Geez, you really don't trust me anymore." He looked me dead in the eyes, and smiled.

"What are you smiling for? I said I still-" Before I could finish, he had maneuvered around me and pinned me up against the metal pole.

"Ah!"

"You say one word about my loyalty, honor, and word? And I'll kiss you."

Okay… now he could deliver a threatening line. No matter what he said, I would of still felt scared.

He smiled again, "See? Now that's not the most politest way of asking something of someone else, hmm?" he let me go, and laughed again.

Was I just some kind of joke to him?!

"Haha." His hand was under his nose as he tried to hold back the blunt laughter at my reaction, and straightened up a bit. "Don't worry. If it means that much to you, I won't tell the old man."

I felt some tension leave my body as he said that… as if for some odd reason… I just really wanted to trust him, so naturally, I did.

"What are you two kids doing behind here?!" Rocket Man had discovered us, as I dusted myself off and turned to Aldin.

He looked to me, and then over my back as if to look for Sparkles, and sighed, going up to his Uncle. "She was just threatening me about-" I almost had a heart attack, after his last comment, I really was ready to trust him again! My rage was building before he continued, "Running away and not letting Dr. Ram test her abilities out."

Rocket Man glared to me. "I'm faster than missile, young scramjets have a hard time seeing me." He sounded very threatening too, and I made a note not to look in his eyes again, but I wondered what that meant.

Well, I could tell where Aldin gets his convincing and threatening pointers from…

As he walked on, saying 'let's go!' I tilted my head slightly to Aldin. "What's a scramjet?"

"The fastest experimental aircraft to date right about now…"

"Oh..? Oh…um…Is it fast?"

"Reaches speeds of 12,000 miles an hour."

He then looked back and smiled to me, "Yeah, its fast." He winked, seeing as I didn't know what that meant. "Faster than your puny rainbow." I hit him on the arm again. He made another attempt at holding in a painful cry, but at least I got a huge open mouthed 'ow' out of him. "I still like your rainbow!" he rebutted.

As he rolled his arm a bit, I smirked before realizing why my hits were doing so much damage to him…

I was being kinda arrogant, thinking I hit that hard, when I suddenly realized the condition he was in, and felt a bit of guilt again. Although, the hit felt good to deal, I knew it wasn't right.

We walked into the School as Aldin showed me around, and finally, we left Rocket Man as he took his search for the Doctor else where.

"What will the Doctor do?" I asked Aldin.

"Oh, nothing much, just test out your super powers and see what level of Threat to Society you are. It then states what rank you'll be given in the classes given here, and what classes you SHOULD take to better learn how to control your powers." He sat down at his seat, and I tried to sit next to him, but a boy swiped my seat.

"H-hey!"

"Calm down, Lily. This is Smoke." He slammed his hand into the other boy's hand, and they did a bro-hug while across from each other in their seats.

"Who you're pet?" Asked the boy, African American and looking very good in his loose clothes, swag maybe?

I glared at him though, and then looked to Aldin. I'm usually a lot more assertive, but today… I feel rather shy and to myself.

This definitely wasn't my element…

They still didn't realize that my powers weren't my own,… so I didn't really feel that calm, cool, collected, totally safe vibe the other students were giving off.

"She's my girl, leave her alone." Aldin tugged the back seat behind him closer to his own seat. "This desk is yours, and don't be so scared! Everyone's super here, so relax."

How could he call me HISgirl!?

I sat down, and leaned forward as quick as I could to punch his arm. "Ow!" he held his arm and looked back to me, looking like he didn't obviously know why I did that.

Okay, scratch my last feelings of remorse for this kid! I'm hitting him till his black and blue bruises turn purple!

Someone's gotta teach him he doesn't own the world!

Hmph, he really is a snot-nose rich kid!

I leaned back in my chair, pouting with my head low, and my arms up and crossed, folded to reflex my anger and not being comfortable enough to voice it in front of all these Supers…. Not completely cause they were Supers, but because they were strangers to me.

I wasn't very loud in my own school, either. Come to think of it…

#thatintrovertlife I guess…

"Woah, you got a fighter! Haha!" Smoke stated, and then saw some other girl come in, looking very mature and having a good figure, as Smoke looked to her and hit Jet on his arm a few times with the back of his hand. "Hey, hey, hey, it's Veronica!" he straightened himself up and blew some smoke out of his mouth, it created a fog that he morphed by moving his mouth and tongue as it came out to make a black rose in the air. "Ay… Verrrronica." He seemed to flirt.

"Ugh, Smokey, just stick to your wild fires!" she waved the smog out of the air as it disappeared, and Smoke looked offended as he held his arms out, and turned back to Aldin.

"Did I do somethin' wrong!?" he seemed to be genuinely asking, as Aldin shrugged and looked away.

"New girl, did I-" he looked to me, and then gestured to himself. "Do something wrong?" he seemed to really want my opinion.

"Well…" I looked down and then back at him, gaining some confidence I had been missing since I got here and tried to reclaim my old self back. "They do say smoking is bad for you."

I heard some guy in the back spit out his drink, then catch the water in the air, and put it back in his water bottle. "I call the new girl!" he suddenly stated, as Aldin got up on his chair, slammed his foot on the back of his seat's backrest, and looked menacingly to his classmate.

"Dude, back down, she's Jet's pet." Smoke stated, and looked back to me. "And she's alright." He laughed.

"I'm no one's pet." I grumbled, barely speaking above a whisper while answering, but felt it best to leave it alone…

For now… anyway.

Until I get this 'new girl' feeling off my back and start acting like me again, I might as well stay low…

And stick to what I know…

And what I know is to get out!

What was with all these guys, anyway!? 'Claiming' women like we're here to be won?

The sooner men learn it's us who choose them, the better…

I mean, you don't see us kneeling down with a 'question' in mind…

Heh.

Aldin got down and comfortable in his seat again. "That's Sprinkler. He controls water." He stated.

"Does everyone go by their super name?" I asked, as Jet looked back and smiled, charmingly.

"Well of course, Colors." He winked.

"Colors?" A girl looked back from in front of him. "THAT'S what she's calling herself?" The girl was tan skinned, and seemed like she would go for hip-hop or something with what she was wearing.

Well, in my defense, it's can be considered more than 'Sprinkler'…

You can't really intimidate people with that.

But I guess 'Colors' wasn't the most terrifying thing either.

Rocket Man, if you think about it, doesn't sound that threatening either, until he launches himself at your gut, then you may think otherwise…

If you have time left to think, that is.

"Hey, some girls like 'The Rainbow'-" he started, looking back to her and then to me. "And some girls like to be different and say, 'Colors'."

"…Was that supposed to defend me?"

"I tried, but it's hard when your name literally states you control the colors of the rainbow."

I wanted to just hide away in a cave forever, living off of nuts I popped into popcorn, cause that seems possibly more tolerable than this situation of judgements…as the girl just smiled and nodded.

"Sweet." She took some gum out of her bag. "Does she pop?"

"You pop?" Aldin asked me.

"What?"

"I POP!" A guy in the back shouted out, and reached up.

The girl threw a strip to him, and used some kind of sound wave that sounded like a dolphin or something that moved the strip perfectly across the classroom, landing in his way with the rings of sound allowing him to just grab it in mid-air.

"Wha..?" I had never seen Supers so freely using their powers before, and even Sparkles poked her head out to see what was happening, but knew she had to stay hidden, so no one really saw her purposefully make my bag dip a bit so she could crawl and tug it under my chair and get a better look at everything.

"I POP TOO!"

"POP ME OVER HERE!"

"Come on, Lily." Jet opened his hand to the girl and she just placed the strip in his hand the same way she did the others. He then opened the gum and ripped it, and took one of the two slices and chewed it, then offered me the other slice. "Pop it." He then blew a bubble and it popped, and as the noise went, the girl reached out and grabbed the noise, making it air waves that could be visible by the naked eye.

I marveled, looking up and over me.

As Aldin chewed, grinning from ear to ear, she took the sound and walked to the window, holding it gently in her hands, and then released it, as a huge and loud blast was heard outside.

"SHE POPPED IT!" the class cheered, and clapped, finding it humorous or whatever to take a bubble pop, expand it outside, and make it so annoyingly loud my ears almost fell off.

"No thank you." I stated, and felt my bag under my feet. Looking down, I pulled my bag back so I wouldn't hurt Sparkles. She squeaked, and I coughed, before patting the bag with my foot, hoping she would calm down and feel comforted that I was here.

After the whack-o class was done, with its teacher talking about how 'Powers are given for a reason, and you shouldn't misuse them and only use them for the greater good' speech before moving on to physics, apparently his actual lesson.

I was pretty much clinging to Aldin, not knowing what else to do in an unfamiliar world where people threw comet balls in basket hoops that for some reason didn't catch on fire and cheerleaders having wings on their backs.

Yyyyeah… when can I go home?

Sure it was cool, but I didn't belong here! I was just a normal kid who found an alien with magic light powers that I use when I see fit too. Does that mean I'm a super? NO! I'm just… gifted. I'm gifted, that's all.

Gifted, as in, I was given a gift, from the universe if you will, and when I opened it, a rambunctious little rabbit jumped out of it.

Aldin was headed to the cafeteria after helping me figure out how to get my lunch from the lunch lady with multiple hands and two heads when all of a sudden a hologram appeared in front of him.

He was a cute boy, maybe my age it looked like, with white hair and eyes, and a pretty polished white suit on. He had a lime green bowtie, and he seemed to have the anime 2D look… but was very very cute. For an AI, anyway.

"Hey, Art. Got news for me?" Apparently, the boy was named Art. "Artificial intelligence, he's like… our announcer made into an animated hologram." Aldin explained as the hologram looked to me.

"How do you do." He bowed politely, as I nodded, and looked around him, moving in a circle.

"He looks so… heh… real." He was materialized on all sides, and he looked back and around at me before laughing, and nodded to me again.

Although, he may fizz and move like a virtual simulation, it was still cool to see he looked three dimensional from all sides, and his movements were fluid but he was clearly see through, breaking the illusion of life considerably, but he still was impressive.

"Thank you. As a non-living figment of data, I try my best." he was charming enough, as he gave me yet another dive into a bow with his arm sweeping out. A look of 'thank you, mi'lady' if you will.

He then turned to Aldin. "Jet, you are requested by Dr. Ram for a private interview, I'm guessing this is the new student?"

"Yeah, Colors."

"Full name please? For records, of course."

I froze up, and looked to Aldin.

"Uhh… full name?" he looked to me.

"I plead the fifth!" I stated, as Aldin just shook his head left and right in bewildered confusion. I mean, we're technically in America, even being up this high from the continent, the laws still applied right?

Land of the free…

What about the skies?

"W-what!?" he made a goofy look on his face. "Just tell Art your name!"

"I don't want to go here!" I whispered to him, as he just shook me off of his arm.

"Well too bad! This is your school now. She's Lily, but I don't know her last name, and she's a tough nut to crack." He rolled his eyes. "Where's Dr. Ram at?"

"His studies, near his laboratory class." Art looked back to me after answering, and for a second, I could see hurt in his eyes… mixed with maybe confusion and fascination.

He even leaned back a bit, as if not used to people not directly answering him.

Maybe he just thought it was cool for a human to know their own rights? When clearly, we don't always use them.

Nah, I'm sure that's not what he was thinking.

"Thanks Art." Aldin looked back to me and shook his head, "Now you made Art sad!" he jokingly glared at me. "Now behave and sit with… um.." he looked over me and saw some of his friends. "Oh, there's a lovely group of my female friends over by Sam. Art, can you escort her to Samantha Wilthro?"

Art seemed to tense up, and looked back there, then gulped and nodded. "If I must." He looked sick to his stomach…

"Wait, if you go here, why did I see you at-" I wanted to ask Aldin why he attends here AND my school… it didn't make sense! And I can't believe I just thought about it!

"I was investigating! I do that, for you and Storm Soldier, that kind of thing! New recruits! Bye!" he seemed to understand what I was trying to ask, and ran off with his food tray.

"Hmph, ditch me so easily…" I pouted and was following Art, before a huge wind blast came up and Aldin rode the wind and leaned forward.

I felt something hit my cheek before a whisper stated, "I'll miss you~" as gentle as a spring breeze, before the wind rushed the opposite direction, flinging my hair in my face as he whizzed away.

Art blushed, and looked to me, and then back at Aldin's direction. "I knew he was a registered in my system analysis as a flirt, but I've never seen him so directly kiss a girl before."

…Directly?

I rubbed the icky feeling off my cheek.

Registered….flirt?

As my blush grew greater, so did my anger, and the horrible stabbing of my pride suddenly came into affect too.

I was freakin' into a flirt?! That's the lowest thing I've ever done in my life!

I grumbled some insults about him before walking over to where he had recently pointed.

Now I knew the truth. I'll really keep my distance this time. For real!

"Where is Sam?" I growled out, which seemed to put poor Art in an awkward state.

"S-she's over there." He tried to move through the crowd, but to be honest, the crowd was moving through him. "L-let me escort you!" he hurried his pace in front of me and showed me to the seat.

People that walked by seemed unfazed by this hologram being fizzed through them and phasing like a computerized ghost by them as he tried desperately to dodge the crowd of students, but to no avail.

The three girls sitting their stopped for a moment, and everyone was quiet and just stared, but I don't think it was at me…

"Good evening ladies." Art bowed, and kept his eyes closed, as if he didn't want to stare back at them. A few sweat drops were on the side of his face, in complete anime style as he seemed nervous for some reason. He tried a smile, but a nervous frown was clear on his face. Why was he so uncomfortable?

"This is Lily, also known as Colors. Jet has requested I escort her here and put her into your care while he is away. Excuse me." He bowed again and dematerialized.

"…." There was a girl with deep red hair, as curly as vines that gave her a bit of volume. She had a pink bow with white dots in her hair, and a skirt matching it, with black leggings that went to her knees. "Do you think Art's an adorable dork who should be in his own anime?" the girl suddenly asked me. "Protected at all cost?"

I was weirded out at first, but just looked around and then nodded. "Yyyeah… sure." I stated, not completely certain of what to say in this kind of siutaiton.

It was so awkward… I hadn't sit down yet.

No was advising me too… so…

Darn you, Jet!

"Do you love him?" Another girl chimed in, placing her hand on the table. She was another African American but she was really beautiful, I don't even think she should be wearing make-up with her looks. She had light red lips and her hair was up, but boy was it loooong! She also wore a lot of pretty bracelets and rings.

"Hint, the answer should be, no. He's for no one but the one he truly is destined for." The other white girl gestured with a tilt of her head to the red-head. She was blonde with short hair, that spiked out at the end and wore a comic book theme shirt on.

"….No?"

"She can sit." The red-head looked away from me and started to look back towards the large entrance of the cafeteria.

"Sorry about that, Kiki has a huge fantasy crush on Art. She would of mauled you if you said you loved him. I'm Terris." The gorgeous girl stated, offering me her hand with light red painted and long nails on them, matching her lipstick color as I took it and shook it, sitting down.

"How do you do." I stated, suddenly realizing where I was sitting at.

The Geek Table…

The Werido knights of the rectangular court of King Art, apparently.

Aldin SOOOO would put me with Anime lovers and Comic book readers.

Introverts and outcast have to stick together, right..?

I mentally groaned.

I actually was rather found of eating alone…

There was nothing wrong with who they were, but sometimes… these people could be cray-cray.

"Oh gosh, did you see the way he looked at me!?" Kiki began, pressing her hands to her chest as she looked to Terris, being dramatic it seemed was part of her personality.

"Yeah, with horror and avoidance." Her friend blatantly stated, and continued eating her spaghetti.

"And you must be Sam." I looked to the blonde, who nodded kindly and shook my hand.

"Sorry, I just started wearing contacts." She stated, completely off subject, but if that's how she introduces herself, then so be it.

This was the gang I was assigned too.

So this was Aldin's group then, eh? Hmm… Maybe I could learn something about him here…

Registered flirt.

I suddenly darted my eyes around at the girls, leaning back, analyzing them.

He hangs out with a group of girls…

Red-riding hair isn't one of them. Checked her off the carts as she kept her goo-goo eyes in the anime plain of existence.

She had her arm up and holding her chin as she stared off, looking for Art to rematerialize somewhere else I assumed.

Terris… was it?

She was beautiful, texting on her phone before setting it down to eat.

He might go for that.

Honestly, who wouldn't?

And Sam…

I squinted my eyes.

She was definitely something. Considering he knew her and said her name first.

Maybe she was the only one he knew? Or maybe she was the primary person I needed to get to the bottom of who he REALLY is…

Dang, Coop really has rubbed off the 'investigator' attitude on me, hasn't he?

I really did miss the guy, it seemed…

"So… you guys know Aldin?" I asked, getting my rice-krispy treat out of its wrapping.

"Oh yeah, I've known him sense he came to this school. Really in his shell after his brother died, but I gave him some books to read and he seemed pretty alright after that." Sam took a huge bite out of her apple. "Dwo ywou know hwim?" she asked me.

"Uhh… yeah. He brought me here." I looked back to Kiki, who was biting her lower lip, still waiting, but this time, turned around.

She looked so nervous, scanning the whole place as if her life depended on getting one more glance of her virtual crush.

A real life Amy Rose, maybe?

"Come on, come on, come on…" she was twirling her pencil in her hand, not even touching her food. "AH-HA!"

Art materialized again, and seemed to be talking to two other students now.

"Come on baby, stay with me here! Come on!" she was looking up, and then going down to her drawing pad and speed drawing him as fast as she could.

"Really? Your making him take off his suit?" Terris saw her drawing him removing his jacket.

She actually had a knack for art… wait.

Pun wasn't meant to be intended in that statement.

"Jacket. It's just the jacket, LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed in her face, blushing and drawing as fast as she could. "Don't judge me on things you don't understand!" she had the drawing and her pencil so close to her face,… she was so extravagant that it made me smile a little.

She lifted her head up and for a faint second… Art looked over to her, and then quickly away when their eyes met.

She made a noise not humanly possible in my opinion and dropped her pencil, then started holding her breath as she placed her hands over her mouth.

"Hon… hon, are you okay?" Terris put her hand on her back, as Kiki breathed again.

"He looked at me." She stated, "And our eyes met." She started pawing the table and grabbing the edge of it. "Oh man! We're so in love it's not even funny!"

She was like… something that popped out from another world.

Possibly made in Japan, by the looks of her actions. So very… very animated.

"…Forbidden, most likely." I mumbled, as she looked to me, and the other girls did too.

She grabbed my juice and moved it from her line of view. "Excuse me?" she stated. "But me and Art have been exchanging 'love glances' for over 2 years." she looked like she was defending the love of her life, and I didn't want to interfere too badly…

But I couldn't help myself.

"Yeah but… Romeo and Juliet only needed one." I took a bite of my treat, as her jaw dropped at my comment.

"Our love is real." She stated.

"Half virtual." I didn't know why I was testing her limits, but she made me smile for some reason, and her funny way of obsessing over a two-dimensional anime looking character just made me happy for some odd reason.

Or maybe it was just her reactions.

Either way, I needed this. Something to get my mind off my situation and into another's. It was almost stress relieving, amusing to mess with her.

I could see why she had such close and devoted friends, she just made others smile by watching her.

I think she really did come from another world. A world where millions of viewers smile and laugh at her antics. Where that's why she was created. For smiles and giggles.

Still, I didn't want to spoil her fantasy, just poke some fun at it and watch her go.

"Okay look. I have it all planned out." She sat back in her seat from leaning over to me, and pulled out a huge book.

Looks like she didn't get offended easily, that's good to see. I smiled even wider at her 'care-free' quality she had.

"Oh, Kiki is this best?" Sam asked, "She's still so new, should you really be pulling out your fanfic right now?"

"Fanfic?"

"Fan fiction. When you make up stories based on already existing material, and make your own stories with it. There's this whole site and everything, just-…. Nevermind." Terris explained… well… sort of.

"Okay, this pre-prom dance, I'm finally going to get my opportunity to ask Art to go with me! Hehe! He'll be taken aback by my beauty and dress that his little circuits will spark with a new feeling he's-" she opened her book. "Never felt before." She started getting really into it, being all dramatic as I held in my laughter. She did realize this was a non-feeling robot right? He just stimulates feelings… right?

Now that I think of it… he did look hurt when I didn't tell him my name just then…

"He'll work up the courage, almost burning out his little hard-drive, and finally,…"

"Kiki…"

She suddenly started voice acting, and I lost it.

"…Will you give me the undying pleasure… of sharing my first dance with me?"

"And then I'll just fall into his virtual eyes, as his materialize and hold me, feeling for the first time, what touch was really meant to feel like… and what he was truly programmed to do…. Hold me." She melted into Sam's lap, and I just let my head fall as I snickered the whole time.

This was hilarious!

This was more than in love.

She was delusional!

"Hey! Are you laughing at me!?" Uh-oh, I don't want to make her mad! Haha!

She lifted herself up, as Sam gave me the cue with her hand moving across her neck to state not to anger her on this.

So she does get mad, eh?

Terris just looked to me, not even caring what I said, and just seemed to want to end the poor girl's insanity right there.

Ah, true friendship. How I've never known it. One friend whose odd enough to allow you into her circle, another whose skeptical of you but loves you too much to tell you your insane, and another whose downright socially unable to function but affectionate.

Seems a little harsh, but I never did get along with girls my age that well…

And why on earth was Jet hanging around the misfits?

Maybe he was just a nice guy. Knowing they were good people, he decided to join them for meals.

Then again… he did seem to reach out to everybody and anybody.

Like he did me…

"No, no.. It's just.." I had to be the one to break her bubble, I just HAD too. She was hilarious! "Well, you don't seem to have talked to him very much, and he's obviously a program. How are you going to 'be with him' after high school?" I asked, using the bunny ears over the 'be with him' part and waiting for her response.

"Did you really? Aw, gurl no." Terris looked so done with life as Kiki brought out a completely different book and placed it on top of the other one.

"I call it, Love's Wireless." She opened the book to a few pages, and each page seemed to hit Sam, but she didn't move to dodge any page.

She folded her arms and just glared with such hateful unamusement that I swore she must have heard these, so called 'stories', a billion times already.

I was laughing so hard, thank goodness Sam was Aldin's friend! Or I'd have been feeling awkward this whole time at this strange school.

"I'll download my brain into the computer RIGHT before I die." Kiki stated, and before I could hear her glorious resolution of love eternal for a CYBER announcer guy I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"…Corelle?"

I turned around.

"..Bagsle…"

He smiled to me, with his pudgy cheeks and grinned, ear to ear. "So you were a super! I was hoping you were!" he sat next to me, and I was so glad to see he was alright.

He had… lost a few pounds too.

"Did they hurt you? I mean, how have you been? What about Shade and-" he stopped me, and looked around.

"We don't mention Shade out here in public, but I've moved on… I'm the Storm Soldier now!" he beamed, after taking a serious tone a moment ago.

"Umm… my story though?" Kiki began, leaning to the side to try and get my attention again, but Terris just hushed her and picked up her books, shoving them back in her backpack.

"Oh? Is Bagsle your friend?" Sam asked.

Obviously, but that's okay, your cute enough to get away with obliviousness.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Corelle was from the normal school, we took the high-end science class together." He put his arm around me, and I didn't mind for a moment.

By high-end, he meant rich, but the girls stared at us for a moment, as if they didn't know what he was referring too.

"Like… a tough class?" Terris asked. "Cause… I don't get it." She flat out stated.

"Oh um… well, rich kids class." Why did Bagsle have to explain that?

We're these kids living in a perfect little world up here in the clouds? Where there was no rich and poor society?

"Colors!" Aldin flew back in… wait, flying!? I guess you can just use your powers nilly-willy here… WAIT!

"You guys have powers too!" I slammed my hands on the table, these girls had powers too then!

This was so surprising to me, I literally hadn't fathomed that the whole time I was talking to them…

They… even the red-head… had super powers….

Sparkles took this chance to reach up and swipe my orange from the tray, but I think the others saw, and I quickly thought fast and grabbed my backpack, leaving my tray of food there on the table. I got up and started walking away, head down towards the backpack.

"Strange girl." I heard Kiki state, as she continued eating her food.

…Me?

Well, I must be.

Because I was the most normal out of all these kids on the flying disk! The whole saucer of weird was a brand new fantasy land I didn't want to be apart of!

My ability from Sparkles was to fight for the underdog! I… well, I mean, do what I want with and help the right way.

My head was light and dizzy in this atmosphere, I needed air.

I needed home.

Aldin whisked me up before I could do anything more, as I held my backpack in my arms, and Sparkles looked around, a bit afraid.

"I would put her in, if I were you." Aldin flew out, and instructed me as I moved.

"What? Why?" Was he referring to what I think he was? Did he already know that Sparkles could jump into my eyes and that's where my powers were from?! But how!?

"They have to test you soon." He explained.

"No way! I won't let them find out about Sparkles!" I held my backpack tighter. "And you promised!"

I couldn't explain why he knew, but I was sure as HECK not letting them get Sparkles!

Aldin sighed. "Yeah,… okay… I promised." He rolled his eyes. "But you have to let them test you."

He placed me down and then saluted to a door.

"Say hello." He whispered.

I stared a moment at the door… just a plain… green wooden door. With some numbers written on it.

"…Hello, door?" I stated.

"State your name." he was still hovering with a blast of wind next to me, just… chilling it seemed.

My hair was flying everywhere though, "Can you not?" I commented.

"Ugh! Lily! Stop being a sourpuss and just state your name!"

"Lily Corelle! There! Happy!?" I was just so done with this day! I was still hurt, still feeling a bit awkward, and scared and I just- I NEEDED TO TAKE A BREAK!

The door opened, and an old man was mixing chemicals together at the front of the classroom.

"You may go now,.. Aldin Griplee." He stated, as Aldin made a face.

"Grip…lee?" I looked up to him.

"It.. it's not as weird as Corelle." Aldin defended, but it was so weak.

He flew off then, and I reached out for him, "Wait! I-!"

"Come in… Your leaving that boy's wind to rush in here and contaminate my experiments.."

The old man seemed cross… or maybe agitated.

I walked in, and slowly made my way to the front, looking at him… studying him.

He wore big black goggles right now, but his hair was odd. He had two large thin and white bundles of hair that made a whisp that swooped to the sides of his head, but the third whisp, on the top of his head, swooped right, unlike the others that moved wherever they were positioned on his head. So right when right, and left went left.

Like an ice cream cone's vanilla swoop, on three sides of the head.

So weird.

This whole thing was weird.

Someone get me out of here!

I continued to grip my bag with Sparkles close to me.

I would never let him have her.

He wore a red tie, with a white lap coat and shirt underneath, and his pants we're black and his shoes we're red. Odd… very odd…

He had a huge shoe size, they didn't match his look at all. He looked like a mad scientist straight out of a movie.

"I suppose you think you're the only one around here with a unique gift." He stated, as he dropped a holding device that had a vile at the end of it, down gently to a holder.

He took his goggles off, but kept his red gloves on.

"I'm Dr. Ram. And if your stupid enough to call me Doc, I'll turn you into radioactive slim." He leaned forward and gave me that threat, before walking to his desk, and looking through some files. "Let's see now… hmm…"

Now that I think about it… he looked like Doc from Back to the Future!

But seeming to lack the charm, completely.

My eyes widened though, I loved that movie.

"Miss Corelle… from the investigation I've done, you have fake papers stating you're not a super and have not shown signs of super powers till late of last year." He closed the file and slammed it down on his desk. "Well, I reckon I might have a find with this one." He looked up, talking to no one, as he adjusted his lab coat.

He had my papers? What..?

The school must have had a lot of political and governmental power over these things… After all, I could see the upper-dudes saying, "Let the Supers have the Supers." To an extent.

"You! Young lady, tell me what your power is, where you think it's from, and why you think you've been gifted with it, hmm?" He got down in my face, and I leaned back a bit, as he bent his knees to try and speak on the same level with me. "Come on, don't be shy. I'm only scary if you make me out to be." He looked in both my eyes.

"Eh…heh. I was told your eyes were white with a slight…umm… eh." He wiggled his fingers out in front of him, thinking of the word. "Rainbow of sorts!" he finally got it.

I remained silent.

"Oh? So you refuse to speak do you? Very well." He backed away, and put on some glasses. "I'll send you into the testing lab right away,… unless.. of course.." he turned around, lowering his glasses as he seemed to stare at me, hoping I'd change my mind. "You've decided otherwise?"

I just stared at him, taking deep breathes as I put my backpack back behind me and on tight, fastening the straps like I did when Sparkles tried to get out last time.

"Very well." He seemed to like my challenge, and placed a hand on my back, gesturing to the door. "If you'll follow me… this…. Way?"

I was terrified.

He led me outside, and while he did so, he made sure to keep a hand on my back.

Sparkles desperately wiggled in my bag, and I looked to the bathroom.

"Can I go? Real fast?"

He paused for a moment, and slowly moved to look down at me. "…of course." He gestured to the bathroom near us. "Just don't run away." He warned, and snickered.

That guy sent a chill up my spine, as I rushed into the bathroom.

"Okay, Sparkles, I've GOT to get out of here!" I let Sparkles out of the bag, and opened my eyes real wide. "Come on! Jump in and let's go home!"

Sparkles looked thrilled that we were leaving, but seemed nervous, looking around.

"It's okay! He can't come into the girl's bathroom!" I was whispering anyway, just in case he could still hear me.

Sparkles looked back to me, and nodded in complete trust, though I'm sure she didn't understand what my words put together meant. Still, she absolutely and undoubtedly trusted me, and I loved her for that. Innocent as she was, she was my only friend in the world, if you could consider an alien rabbit with magical powers- um… a friend. She formed into her ball of light and went into my eye.

I didn't have my super get-up, but that didn't matter! I had Sparkles! And the power of light flowed through me again,…

It felt good, something I had missed.

Power…

I could escape from the things I didn't like now, I didn't have to stay and do as they told me too.

Sorry, Aldin… You're friends were funny though.

Take care.

I blasted out of the window, using the light to morph me through it.

"YES!" I had used the sunlight that time, so it was easier, and different. Moving through the window's glass, or was it plastic? Anyway, I got out! Plain as that!

As I flew out, I formed my rainbow and started scaling across a very thin line, not wanting to be spotted.

However… seems I was expected to try and resist!

A few nets shoot out at me, as suddenly men, dressed in black with metal gear on, flew up on jets that we're attached to their feet.

"What the heck!?" Missiles we're launched and more nets sprang from them, instead of deadly weapons, they were capture devices now.

I bended light to almost look like I was teleporting out of its way, as I continued to fly about.

I guess you can't say you've really tested out your abilities until you're put on the spot! And that's what was happening with me!

As I dodged, I just replicated the 'light-bending' thing and found I could shift faster through plain air! Sweet!

A portion of the School building, to the right I think, another building just opening up as a large circle platform rose up from it on a pillar. There were railings around it as a horn was sounded, and a few students ran outside or looked out the window to see what was happening.

"Hey! Look! Someone's trying to break out!" Someone shouted out, and I realized this wasn't going to be so easy.

They had trained and probably had a ton of experience with this kinda thing before…

I had to be careful!

"Lily Corelle!" A smug little voice came on speaker, and I looked to the platform to see Dr. Ram, grinning form ear to ear, standing uprightly on it. The wind pushing against him, but only making him stagger just slightly, making him look like he was rocking on his heels. "I'm so glad you decided to take the hard way. It's been a long time since someone's attempted to run from my studies, and I'm absolutely delighted to see your willing to give me a full out demonstration of your powers!" he seemed thrill, as he looked to the side of him, grabbing a large gun it seemed from a man near him. "Thank you." I heard from the microphone, as he aimed it at me, and closed one eye.

"Now, no one's ever challenged my aim either. Would you like a go?"

"He's bluffing…"

They wouldn't shoot a little girl… right!?

"I'm waiting, Miss Corelle."

I shifted my rainbow left and right, thinking…

I looked for anyway to get out of here, but as I looked down, I realized there were helicopters below me, waiting… anticipating… there was no way I would break that high level wall of security. Can helicopters even fly that close together?!

Dr. Ram looked away from his aiming, "Darn." He looked back to a fellow teacher of his it seemed, and tapped the microphone. "H-hello? Excuse me, but have you given up?"

He looked back to the men behind him. "You see, if you show them it's impossible to escape then they won't try. Oh, that's no fun." He looked disappointed, swinging himself a bit before looking back at me.

"Wait…" he touched his forehead, and his eyes lit up with some strange waves of multitude of colors within them. "I think she's going to try…" his eye trick faded as he blinked fast, smiling. He readied the gun again, putting an eye back to it. "Come on, Corelle! Show me the true power of your gift!"

I had no choice.

"NOW!" he called, as soon as I decided to go with a plan. The nets flew out more rapidly now, but Dr. Ram didn't shoot, he only looked at me, and moved his gun to the completely other side of where I was.

"Haha!" he almost danced over to a new weapon, looking to be a giant crossfire mechanism… wait…that's a-!

"I haven't used this baby in years!" he cheered, installing the gun on it as it roared to life, shifting up and spinning slightly as it unhooked from being folded up.

It resembled a huge crossbow, as he stood, ready to fire.

But, as the others shot nets that would spun past and around me, no one hit me, and he still didn't bother to try. Big slinging medieval contraption and all!

"Talk about a bluff, I knew it!" I smiled, and felt a bit cocky. I was dodging the nets fine, I just needed a way to get past that wall of helicopters…

"Hold your nets! She's ducking!" Dr. Ram suddenly blurted out, as I had dived to the helicopters, hoping they would shoot nets at them.

I stopped, huffing and puffing as I realized they were just… standing there… or hovering in mid-air… waiting…

"What?" I looked at the Doctor, but he just kept his gun at the same place he positioned it. He even waved to me.

I was getting real sick of his 'mind games'.

Was he reading my mind or something?

He would call out the commands just before I made my decisions.

I didn't like him from the moment I met him, and I won't like him sense!

He suddenly scoffed, and looked to his men behind him, then back to me, still beaming…

I tightened my fist.

He wanted a challenge!? So be it!

I wouldn't be messed with!

I wanted the right to go home if I so felt inclined!

And I'm really feeling inclined!

"Sparkles!"

Everyone hung in silence, except for the spinning of the helicopters propellers above themselves.

"Bang Bang!" I shouted, and lowered my hands down. "Anyone who doesn't want to plummet to their deaths, move now!"

"Lily! No!"

I heard Jet from below, clearly not liking my tone or usage of words, but I saw Rocket Man put a stern hand on him, stopping him from propelling out and towards me.

He must of said something to him, but I saw Jet shake off his hand and look to me, worried…

"…Sparkles..?" The Doctor moved closer to the mic, seeming intrigued, as he placed his hand on his head. "I don't know a Sparkles.. What even is one? Glitter? Shine?" he seemed even more intrigued by that, as his eyes lit up and he readjusted his gun, "I see… your plans have changed." He looked still, to the opposite side of me. I could still hear him through the mic, what on earth was he doing!?

Of course he didn't know Sparkles!

Sparkles was the only one who could do this, I hadn't figured out yet how to do it by myself, but Sparkles quickly formed, through the light and colors around everything, two large orbs near my hands as I held them down.

The students shrieked or flipped out over the grass disappearing from their eye sights, even though they could feel it, they couldn't see it. Due to Sparkles attack, they were unable to see the ground beneath their feet, and it was scaring some people.

People and students ran to the edge of the school's building, thinking they would fall if they didn't, but those who stood over invisible ground, looking down and marveled, before freaking out, in some cases, and landing on their butts.

"Marvelous!" The Doctor looked around, and then put his eye right back on the aiming system. "What could this be?! Come on, Corelle! Give me a show to analyze!"

Analyze? Was this being recorded?

"S-Sparkles, wait!"

The helicopters weren't moving.

No one was stopping me from powering up.

I looked up, a bit worried they were already conducting the test, and they would find Sparkles, and this could be it. I might have fallen right into their trap!

I didn't want to hurt people, but I knew that Sparkles didn't know if these men would hurt me like Shade and his crew did before. She wouldn't hold back…

While I looked away and up towards the invisible ground of the floating school I saw Aldin, looking down at me, seeming worried…

I had dived beneath where the land was… Where I wanted to be again.

What was he worried about?

…I just wanted to go home…

Back to my normal life, back to helping out Coop, maybe not to the KA7 but somewhere that didn't force me think that I was in danger anymore!

I was sick of how Shade tried to find Sparkles, and I was even more sick that they might do the same.

Whatever these experiments were, they didn't sound pleasant.

I wanted nothing to do with supers, or villains,… or any of that lot!

I was my own hero, my own worst enemy too… this much I knew for certain.

But at least I could trust that I would do what was right, for at least Sparkles.

If not anyone, than at least her!

"Sparkles! Stop!" I was now terrified, but the orbs we're fully charged!

I can't… control it… Lily!

Sparkles had to release the power, and I felt my hands shake and slip from the control over it.

"NOO!"

I didn't want to be a murderer!

I just wanted to scare them away!

The blast flew through the sky, as the helicopters didn't even flinch.

One suddenly let out a beam that attached to another, and another did the same, before the whole area below looked like one big grid.

Sparkles's attack was absorbed and distributed among the helicopters, as they all flew down a bit, taking a very small amount of the blast, and then flew right back up into position, the grid now up and ready to take another hit.

A ripple effect sent a beautiful array of colors over the monitors and beams of light that made the grid, absorbing and deflecting. What an amazing defense. And what an amazing relief.

"…That's … that's impossible."

As amazing as it was, it still was a bad sign.

Did they record my powerful blast?

Could they fling it back at me now?

I guess I could absorb it, but from that much velocity and power in it!?

And… and how am I suppose to get out of here if…

If they can do something like that?

"Don't worry. We've had worst than a little light show up here."

Dr. Ram laughed, as I grew enraged.

"Lily, Don't!" Aldin called down to me, stomping a foot, not wanting me to resist, but I flew up.

Absorbing light around me, that still remained anyway, and I used it to have my hands glow a brilliant techno light screen that worked as a fluid blade. I could slice through the air and have it move almost like water, as it really dealt some powerful heat waves and impact on anyone in my way.

"Brilliant. She has no idea what she's doing." Dr. Ram stated.

"HOW THE HECK DO YOU KNOW?!" I was only hitting away the men that came at me, since down was no good, maybe up?

I flew all the way to the opposite side of the school, and was about to fly upward when-

Click-cling-cling!

"Ah..!"

This whole time… The Doctor was holding his gun in one location… just one. As I had spent a moment to think, then power up before blasting off into the sky, before I could even blast my way up to try and see if I could survive high altitudes by shielding myself with light energy, Dr. Ram had somehow predicted where I would rest and gain my strength.

I had flown to the other side of the school…

"Hmph. Still got it." He put the gun down. "Still lucky." He grinned. "Or was it luck? Well, if you'll sit tight for a moment, I may just explain."

They flew up and grabbed the net, which wouldn't let me phase through it for some reason. This net glowed a bright arrange of colors, so why couldn't I absorb it?

It was made up of the same grid-like aura that the helicopters had, but instead of electrical light that held it all together, they had metal that bended on circular connectors.

As they pulled me down to the school's front lot again, I wanting Sparkles to get out and run away, but then I saw Aldin's face…

Not scared… but worried. Concerned. Disappointed that I resisted…

Well, I'm scared you idiot…

Tears began to form in my eyes.

I'm terrified.

(I love Dr. Ram though! :D You'll see why!)


	11. A Villian's Dissent

A Villian's Dissent

Ch. 11

(Please wait as I re-read and edit my previous chapters. I am adding new content and will be working on this chapter as soon as I can. So please, enjoy the new content on the already established chapters. This is a sneak peek of the next chapter heading. I will be replacing this with the real chapter in time, thank you.)

(#replaced)

Tied with hands behind my back and a familiar feeling of being a captive again… the school security lead me down another corridor, towards a more techy side of the place.

As I struggled, I could feel the circle connectors pull the light bands tighter around my wrist, and when I would stop struggling, it would loosen a little more to give me some figurative air room to breathe.

Dr. Ram and his white coat and swipes of ice cream for hair trailed ahead of me. Each of his steps resonated throughout the long hallway as my frustration and resentment at being out-bested and maneuvered made me not stop the struggle and question how he so easily was able to capture me.

Not like my situation was anything to admire though, I was running out of ideas as is, but it still frustrated me to no end.

He didn't move that stupid launcher net gun thing, and yet, he was perfectly precise with where to aim…

I hated that.

Was I really that predictable?

Although, with these weird light bands, I couldn't use Sparkles's power, for some odd known reason. And furthermore, even if I jumped up and amazingly did some imagined karate move with a split of my legs to knock both guys out and dislocate my arms to get to my hands in front of me, or better yet, why not just hulk it and smash the wrist blucklers or whatever off; but either way, I still wouldn't be able to get out of here. Too many guards, too many-… or maybe it only needed to be one to catch me.

I glared down the doctor again, my curiosity was more a rageful question I wanted an answer too.

How'd he predict the exact place I'd be in? Keeping his gun held there for so long? It didn't make any sense.

Was it mind reading? Kinda like Pierce?

I thought some pretty nasty things about punching out the guy and whatnot, but the Doc didn't flinch.

"Hmph." I huffed to the side through my nose.

He probably would have already laughed at the karate thing… if he could read minds, that is.

Or maybe he was just holding back to make me think he couldn't?

I think too hard about things sometimes.

The guards already had two hands on my back pushing me down, and to make matters more uncomfortable, I even had to walk through a horde of kids, and trying to not look at their expressions was tough as is…

Keeping my head down was shameful at the least, but I couldn't help it. It was better than seeing judgment in others eyes.

Or worse… fear.

It was when I was looking down that I saw one of the guards, or security for the school, whatever you want to name them, had one of his boot laces untied.

What a perfect moment.

Right when I was about to open my mouth, hoping to get that man to switch out with another dude to lean down and take a second to correct his loose laces; Which would make him low enough to where I could whack him away and shake loose before the other guy could get a hold on me, Dr. Ram turned around…

"Stop." He held up a fist, as if a visual sign in military code as the team all halted.

I was a bit shaken up by his motion, having about to enact my plan, and quickly shut my mouth, standing straight for some reason like the other guards in security….

"…" He gave such a serious turn of his head, eyeing me, before walking to the side and standing in front of the loose boot lace guy. "You seem to have your shoes untied. Allow me." He stooped down, but carefully watched my feet, and began to tie the man's shoe.

The others all looked a little weirded out, and the man felt embarrassed, even encouraging the doctor not too, that he would do it himself.

"Watch the girl, soldier." The Doctor stated, heavily focused on the man's boot…

Seconds before he said that, I had felt to shaken up to try anything and froze in place, just gawking at him silently.

As he tied it and pulled it tight, he got up and dusted off his hands. "There." He smiled widely towards me, "All done."

As he walked away I stopped him by stepping forward, leaning as the men tried to pull me back.

"HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?!" I shouted out.

I was so done with today, and if this day would be the last day of my freedom as a normal girl, I might as well make a scene.

I guess that was my fate, to be apart of a wide variety of scenes.

I guess I'm not entirely 'normal' anymore either, by that standard, but at least I have my excuses. No matter how much I hate excuses, they're still relevant.

The Doc turned around slowly again, his hands always behind his back for some reason, maybe just a proper looking guy, as he grinned from ear to ear and came back towards me. "I did promise an explanation if you sat tight, right?"

"We're nearing the lab, sir. She can sit down in the chair-" A guard started to speak up but the Doc just rose his hand, stopping him.

This time, no military codes, just a universal sign for 'don't interfere.'

"I've got this, thank you. I know my own school." He scolded, but almost with a charming sarcasm to it.

He stepped closer to me, hunching his back to be at eye level with me.

"Would you like to see my brain…?" He looked in each of my eyes, as creepily as I've ever been approached by a mad man, but I gulped and nodded.

Leaning back in parallel to my movements, he chuckled.

"Bold girl. You don't get shaken up much, do you?" He seemed impressed, but I wasn't.

He slowly started to move his hand up to his head, which then disgusted me cause I thought he was gonna do what I think he was gonna do.

He apparently had a hinge covered by his goggle's strap, the kind that engineers usually wear, not doctors. There were two separated circler spheres on either end with a gold slate dividing the two.

He swiftly removed them as I saw it from behind in a reflected surface.

Most of his head was bald, except for the three large, fat swoops from two sides of his head and then the top.

He wiggled his fingers, as if creating more tension for whatever this 'magic trick' was, and grabbed his top swirl, pulling his hair back and using his other hand to open his head.

Instead of disgusting fluid and a pink brain, he lowered his head to show something completely and utterly beautiful.

Flaps of brilliant, aurora butterfly wings of different colors, smoothly swooped softly and without sound back and forth through one another, like a ghostly dance.

The substance moved out of his head for a moment, flying like a formless butterfly, no apparent solid within it, just made of pure lights. It flew like flaps of multiple wings as slowly and gracefully as a jellyfish's stride.

As it came towards me, I marveled at the serenity it gave, before the Doc put out his hand that was recently holding his hair back, and let it sit there on it, gently coaxing it back into his mind.

It rested in the empty space of dark pink that was his odd mind, before he swiftly closed his head and pulled up from leaning down. The Doc put the goggles back in place with a quick pull and jab on his forehead, giving a little more flare into the spectacle of what happened, and made sure it was on nice and snug. He seemed to feel no pain from the backlash either.

"Now, let's move on." He turned abruptly as the men started to advance behind him, as if they were completely unfazed by this man's magic trick.

"W-wait, wait, wait!" I kicked my feet back, trying to stop the advance as my feet skid on the floor for a moment, "That didn't explain anything!"

They pulled me around a corner, as Dr. Ram began to explain as he bristly moved thoroughly through the winding turns and supposedly memorized labyrinth that lead to this terrifying laboratory.

"My power is to predict every possible avenue your future could make." He and his men moved so fast that I was getting dizzy with all the turning.

It was as mad as what I had just saw.

What was he?! Willy Wonka mixed with Dr. Frankenstein and his monster? But with no chocolate or lightning bolts.

"The possibilities are all fathomable and able to be predicted based on which choice you're most likely going to take. However, probability can change, which makes it so exciting!" he stopped in front of a huge, half white and half light blue door, cut in the middle at a horizontal as he put his hands together in glee.

"I love to predict in real time…" he leaned down towards me again, as I leaned back, wanting to be no where near this lunatic.

"Because it shows me so much about the minds who make those decisions and futures probable."

"…."

So, he likes to figure people's minds out, that makes sense. If he can see every possibility of what someone may do, it would tell him a lot about that person's personality, but that's still as creepy as heck.

He then moved up to his men, "We're here." He opened the door behind him, a scary happiness to him, as if he enjoyed these moments most of all in his life.

…Or maybe he just liked to show off his 'uniqueness' to newcomers…

The men got me in and strapped to a chair, all around me were angled glass walls that formed a hexagon, as other men in white lab robes were pushing, pressing, turning, pulling, sliding, and all manner of touching and moving devices and machines on the other side of the hexagon glass.

I was like a goldfish in an oddly shaped bowl.

That actually describes this beautifully, considering my hair was glowing blonder and blonder each time I transformed with Sparkles, so maybe, just maybe, I kinda looked like a bright yellow fish stuck at the bottom of the tank.

A huge, almost perfectly round steel ball suddenly dropped from above me.

That didn't look good.

"Now, if you try and explode or something, this should do the trick." Dr. Ram started to hastily push and press buttons too, looking at lime-green and blue monitors behind him as well, as the men all hustled around him, and the guards stepped to each side of the polygon, making sure nothing 'extra' happened, I guessed.

Did they even care about my safety? I mean, if I was to explode on purpose and reform, sure. But if I was actually suicidal?

The thought of the boy who killed those policemen and then touched his own head to make him turn into liquid goop… shaped an image of such sorrowful horror in my mind that I looked down and didn't know how to react to all this injustice in the world.

"Sparkles…" I whispered, knowing I couldn't do anything without him predicting it. "You're going to have to move and think for yourself now…"

She was confused, and in my mind, I tried to explain to her why.

It didn't make much sense, but I gave her a chance to choose for herself what to do.

It had to be Sparkles's plan, or none of this would work!

"We're starting up the machine, sir!" A man stated.

"Where are my rights!?" I distracted, as Sparkles began to think about it.

I was getting worried, wiggling in my chair with normal wide rubber straps this time.

"Rights?" Dr. Ram turned and looked up to me, having a hand on his chin before walking briskly up to the glass, smashing his fist on it. "You have no rights! If you're an unidentified, undocumented, and certainly untrained Super, then we have legal right to you. That is… if you are." They all laughed, as if it was obvious.

That's when it hit me!

Sparkles! Tell me you heard that!

"Now, let's get this show on the road!" Dr. Ram side-skipped, hummed, and cha-cha'd towards his switches that he started to pull up one at a time, even lifting a leg up and trying to be cute on one of them. "This is my favorite part!" he chimed, like a giddy scientist testing an experiment for the first time.

How could he find so much pleasure in locking kids up and forcing their powers to be revealed? Was it painful? Don't they have some kind of decency to at least tell me if it's going to sting a little!?

I was scared as electrical waves of energy from the steel ball started sparking out, connecting to more metal connectors that floated up in spot, and made that same dreaded light barrier again.

Sparkles, getting the hint from the vision of my eyes, flew out in a flash of light, as the electrical energies moved closer to me.

Because light moves so quickly, no one seemed to notice too much. It was the fastest she's ever flown. Usually, it's like a camera flash, but this time, it was so swift and sudden that you could miss it in a blink of an eye.

I shook my head as I had hoped no one saw, but some seemed to have seen the light.

Dr. Ram had his arms behind his back again, rocking on his heels a moment, grinning.

He didn't seem to mind, maybe he was used to those who struggled, and thought that the light was just my attempt to escape, but had obviously failed.

He was so excited to learn more about me, I'm sure they've seen the news; they were here to clear some mysteries up.

I looked behind my chair to see Sparkles ducking, covering her head.

As the rays got closer, they seemed to almost vanish… before jamming into me.

I only screamed out of surprise, but then started laughing.

The weird treatment was like a tickle!

I hated tickle-fights.

"Stop! Stop! Hahahah!" I tried to kick my legs but they were strapped down too. "HAHA THIS-EYA-HAHA! ISN'T fair.." the machine turned off and I was able to grasp for air.

"I love that little side-effect." Dr. Ram turned to one of his men and beamed, looking fondly to what I assumed was his handiwork. "I've never gotten sick of it, after all these years… children still laugh so… so wonderfully!" he spread his arms out, before looking behind him to the results.

The slow gradual decline of his joy broke me out into laughter again.

The screens, ALL OF THEM, literally only stated- "No Data."

"…That's… not possible." He started to get jittery, and raced to a completely different side. "No." he jumped on his feet in short hops and shuffles left, seeing the next multiple screens had- "No Source Detected."

I dared not look back to Sparkles, but I heard her little chuckles from behind me too.

She was learning more and more about humans through connecting or merging with me, that she was starting to understand expressions and situations a lot more clearly now.

I was proud she was getting it, kinda like a parent when they tell their first joke and the baby laughs, seeing that moment of understanding making it all worth telling.

We could now enjoy these moments together, but that almost meant suffer too, as I thought about being tortured beforehand, and how lucky Sparkles was that she was able to escape before that.

She covered her mouth when she saw him race behind me, and ducked further into the metal and wiring in the chair. When he ran by after a moment of confusion at looking to me, she poked her head out and looked to make sure he didn't see her.

It looks like on all sides, she was perfectly blended in with the shadows beneath my chair.

She crawled deeper inside, making sure she wasn't noticed at all, and blinked up at me from a crack near my arm rest.

I smiled.

So, this machine can only pick up on power that is present. As long as she remains under me, the shocks will only hit me, and not be able to detect any other power source around me.

My smile shifted to a smirked.

Sweet.

Game on, Doc.

Predict this!

An alien rabbit bent on making the world more colorful with rainbows and an obsession with glitter.

"Let's have some fun." I whispered to Sparkles, taking only a glance down at her before looking up and relaxing in the chair, leaning back. "Let me see what mischief you have in store for us."

She giggled, liking the idea of having some fun with her abilities, as another flash of light went off, and Dr. Ram turned around with his men all gasping.

Maybe the light was more detectable than I had previously assumed. It was hard to tell, because she literally would fly in or out of my eyes, and all I would then see was milliseconds of bright white cover my eyes. The opposite of being blinded in black, you could say.

The security had their weapons or guns or shock lazers and nets, whatever they had to contain me, out and ready.

It was devices I have never seen before, probably stuff just for Supers, as I felt my hands launch out, my fingers wiggling and moving in strange motions, knowing Sparkles was now taking control.

I laughed some more, seeing as Dr. Ram's eyes darted, but couldn't fathom why there were no possibilities.

Probably because they weren't my possible ways to have fun, but another creature he couldn't detect!

Maybe it was a sight thing? Or human probability? I didn't know, but I guessed my own mind was protecting Sparkles, at least, that's what I was calculating, for now anyway.

Hey, I'm no scientist, I can't just give you a reasonable deduction like Sherlock. I had to be logical, but half of this was unnatural, so you're stuck with my best guess.

"What's going on!?" Dr. Ram shouted out, as men were spooked by their lab coats changing to the color of the screens, and the screens turning bright white like their lab coats.

The military security guards' dark blue and black attire was suddenly changed to grey and a very light blue, making them look slightly girly as the men looked at themselves and freaked out.

For Dr. Ram, Sparkles took the red of his gloves, as he stared at his hand, watching it become a wide stream of light that sucked the color up and off. He moved his hand left and right, seeing it be made invisible as he quickly ripped the glove off, not scared at all but more so, probably, intrigued.

Obviously, Sparkles wasn't hurting anyone, so maybe that's why he was so much more calmer than his colleagues.

He continued to move his hand around, and then turned back to the color that trailed around him.

He paced and circled it, studying it, I'm sure.

He must have been a little frightened, as he gripped the invisibly, drained in all color, glove in his hand.

I mean… he just had to be a little spooked… right?

Maybe, though, he's seen so much that nothing really shocks him anymore?

The light circled him as well, like a Chinese dragon it waved through the air, before coming to a direct turn to almost make it look like the head of the dragon was staring at him.

It then launched itself past him.

He ducked, and turned to see the red spread out and shoot into the steel ball.

Different shades of red suddenly shoot out like a disco ball, something she had seen on my home-video tapes of the old man's family and younger dancing years.

"Anyone up for a little party?" I stated.

"Heh, spoken like a true Super. We have a class for witty dialogue to keep the mood light, you know." He turned back to face me, thinking it me again, but not showing any discomforting in not being able to figure my probability out like last time.

"You're little light show and switcheroo isn't going to stop my machines from picking up your scent!" he sounded a little poetic on that last line, but I could tell now that he was feeling bested, as he kept taking double looks at me, not understanding why he couldn't predict my actions.

Probably cause they weren't my own~

And no matter how oddly cool your mind was, you couldn't read the futures of an alien rabbit!

I could feel Sparkles having fun, before the machines were turning to life.

He moved so fast and so powerfully down the lines of his men and machines, racing at an angle, trying to keep his body mostly towards me, as he cried out directions for them.

"Full power! Turn them on quickly! Don't give her time to goof off any longer and pull another fast one on us!" he jumped up and leaned his arms forward on another machine, so full of youthful life for his age, before jumping down and hitting his machine with his flat hand, really pounding on it. "Come on, come on, come on! You've never failed before!"

They can't keep me if they have no evidence that I'm a Super, and not just sight, but real, actual, FACTS. And without that, they were going to be forced to let me go.

Okay, Sparkz.

She happily understood, though a little disappointed she couldn't have more fun, and brought all the light back to its original state.

She then flashed out of my eyes in her ball of light and ducked in a blink of an eye, I think, back behind and into the chair.

She ducked her head before looking around, shaking her body off, moving her arms up and grooming her head, hopping to a turn towards me, looking up cutely. "Clenn, Clenn." She slurred.

I had taught her just recently to clean up after herself, usually for her 'art projects' she had while I was doing my homework, so I was so proud when she said that.

When the tickling lightshow started up again, I laughed and tried to endure it, bracing for another impact as they kept doing it, and Sparkles kept showing off.

"RUGH!"

The fun stopped when they had tried multiple times, even trying to trace when the 'flash of light' would come, but with me not controlling it, Dr. Ram couldn't predict and turn the machine on fast enough to get some data on it.

He had smashed his hand onto his beloved machine, even denting it slightly.

He must have had some form of super strength, because I'm pretty sure that a normal old man couldn't do that.

"…Why…" he was breathing hard, and sweating, before looking up to me…

With the most profound and sincere sorrow I have ever seen before.

"Do you know what's going to happen to you if you stay out there? In the real world?" He spoke as if his heart was breaking, as he quite literally teared up and moved towards the glass, slowly and wobbling in his steps, raising his hand up to slide against it.

As if he really cared.

"They'll revile you. They'll curse you. They'll scorn and hate and jeer… why invite-"

"Are you…?" I tilted my head, so offended. "Trying to quote Disney lyrics?"

I may not have seen many Disney films in my runaway'd life, but I have snuck into a theatre or two when they were having kid events, and by golly, I know a thing or two about how wonderful the Hunchback movie is.

He looked up in a bit of shock.

I was judging him so hard right now, "Not in my presence." I shook my head.

With that, he lowered his head, and laughed. "Alright, you got me a little there." He rubbed his eyes. "But one way or another, I won't have another villain in this world causing fear and torment." He turned around. "We'll keep going till we find the truth!"

As my heart began to shank, a hologram imagery, shadowed, suddenly flickered on.

"I'm afraid the laws of the government will not allow you to continue your work further, Doctor."

The Hologram stepped out, having fizzed a silhouette before stepping into the light of the dim room, and showing one beautiful saving grace.

I'm guessing the process of how he remained shadowed was by dimming himself, before brightening up his light as he stepped further into the actual light around him.

"Art, what on earth are you doing here?" Dr. Ram turned around, but not with rage, more of curious confusion. "I'm doing my job! Finding and documenting new Supers, for the good of the world." He raised his head, confident about that title it seemed, and very much charismatic as he once was.

What a dramatic fellow.

And the Oscar goes to…

And the world's weirdly constructed mind goes to…

And the most duped genius of all time goes to…

"I'm afraid this conversation is being recorded, and I am programmed to equip this school with its weaponry and defensives in pursuit of protecting and saving this girl if I should find any violations to the laws and procedures for a mistake in identity."

"There's the law." I stated, happy my rights weren't completely stripped from me.

Art was actually… being very threatening about the rights I had.

Since, indeed, if I wasn't found a super, I had rights as a normal, common citizen.

He may have the appearance of a young anime man with those big circle eyes with shines and sparkles in them, but he was looking at Dr. Ram like a war machine, and very much standing to his programming.

He was like my white knight in shining virtual armor!

I hated being saved so many times, what, with having my own powers and all, but it was odd to me that I actually was happy to see the government doing its job for a change.

"It's not a matter of mistaking her as one." Dr. Ram turned his body, leaning down as if offended by Art's intrusion on his 'ratting me out' apparently. He then pointed to me and shouted, only taking his eyes off of Art for a moment before having them dead-set on his virtual ones. "It's a matter of a failed attempt at recording them!"

Art narrowed his eyes further.

"I know if I had more time to decipher what she was manipulating to perhaps comatose her powers into hiding, I could evidentially-!"

"Let me make myself clearer, Doctor Inceirious Ram." In every sense of the most amazing step-forward, awesomeness you can possibly imagine, which I am unworthy to denote, Art's hologram inched its way closer to Dr. Ram. His programming must have been blaring inside of him, as he seemed to be the true 'peace maker' within the school, abiding by every law and creed.

"If there is no legal evidence against her being or not being a super, then she is automatically dubbed a non-super. Whether she showed skills or not of extra ability. Some humans claim to read minds, others have the limited ability to cause disasters, but they are not supers."

"Controlling light and sucking it out of objects is-!"

"You will release her, or I shall send this conversation to the government, and you will be endangering this institution you fought so hard to organize." His eyes looked a little more concerned for the school than he did me at that moment, but Dr. Ram looked like he was holding in a lot of fury.

He looked to me, his eyes matching Art's sorrow from when I refused to give him my name, and then sighed, rubbing his face.

"Take her then, Art. Take her home."

He then looked to me.

"But mark my words…"

As I was untied and lead out by Art, who just materialized behind the door when he got close enough to it- looks like he couldn't move through door frames..? Doctor Ram continued.

He was up to my side, talking loudly in my ear next to my face as I flinched back. "I will find out how you beat the system, I will discover who you truly are, and I'll bring you here to learn to use your abilities for the good of mankind!"

"Art," I turned to him, "Would that be considered a threat?"

"Yes." Art turned to Dr. Ram. "It would."

"I like you." I cheekily smiled, "But maybe not as much as Kiki…" I muttered right after.

As I hurried to match Art's footsteps, I heard Dr. Ram fall back behind me, and called out.

"Until then-! You're hereby a villain! For resisting complying to the Super School!"

I felt my heart get pricked and tugged on by that statement.

What?

By fighting the system… I'm a… villain?

This world really was messed up.

Art lead me through the confusing hallways and turning corners, before we finally we're making our way back to the normal part of the school building.

"Thanks, Art. You really saved me back there!" I tried to engage this robot in small talk, but he kept his face straight ahead.

"..Uh… I really am grateful to you! You have no idea how badly I wanted to get home so… I can't stand being tickled, either! Haha… umm… "

"…I do not feel you realize that I witnessed your attempt to escape as well." Art stated, and put me to silence. "You endangered lives, and risked the safety of the school." He must really love his school he watches over,… huh?

"I.. I was.." scared…

"I don't always comprehend human emotion." He turned to me then, stopping. This sudden action made me abruptly stop to match him too. He was my guide, after all…

"But… I do know that when I first met you, you were not a villain."

I felt my heart soar a little by his words, before he looked away.

"I've seen their eyes, and I do comprehend some feelings. I've studied emotions, and I can honestly say that you are not a killer." He then looked back to me, those concerned eyes almost begging me to listen. "Please do not return here. Especially if you will endanger these students lives again."

I remained silent. This virtual man was actually making me feel guilty and remorseful for my stunt back there. I wanted out, could you blame me?

I was a trapped mouse! Out of my element! I had to get away! Can you comprehend that?!

Maybe it was the same for Sparkles, she didn't always understand, but she cared about me. I wondered if robots could have simulated hearts too…

He clearly did… to some extent.

"I can see why Kiki's so enamored with you." I had to tease, I wanted the topic off of me and my actions for a change…

He tensed up, having his whole body quake it seemed as his hologram fizzled, his hair got messy as it stretched a little forward. He leaned up and twitched his eye, even making a Japanese sound effect…

He walked on swiftly after that, as I followed him, hearing him mumbling but his eyes were hidden by his curly, bushy white hair.

"I helped her find her classes and way around the school when she was a freshmen, I could have never concluded she would then share such strong desires to speak, affiliate, draw, write, and-…" he nervously looked to me, and-…

Blushing!?

"Bother… me…" he looked away.

"…Do you..?" I couldn't believe it.

He leaned up and sighed, "I'll admit… she may be annoying… but she certainly makes me feel like I am a living organism." He looked kinda conflicted, before turning back to me. "I just wish she wouldn't treasure me so. Because evidentially, she will be faced with the facts of reality, and have to realize that her fantasies were all in her visual cortex and limbic system…"

I stared a moment, blinking.

He turned back to me, a little embarrassed at his robot talk. "I mean… the parts of her mind that allow her to dream."

"Oh."

I still wondered if he had a fondness for her, he seemed to be just exhausted with her antics and tried of her endless pursuit of him, which to him, was highly illogical. But I suppose he still cared for the students of the school, and so that included her too.

He then seemed to realize I hadn't answered him after his first question, and slowed his virtual pace again to match mine, "You averted the subject. I made a clear statement to you. Could you please respond?" he waited, but I just looked down at my steps ahead.

I didn't want him to dislike me, but I felt a sorrow from his last statement I didn't want to address.

Of course I didn't want to come back to this school! But… the way he put it…

"…You puzzle me." He looked confused, before turning ahead. "Most humans comply. But you remain silent, refusing to have any information about you leak through your lips and spoil the surprise of something you keep inside."

I turned back to him, surprised by his words.

"One minute you speak all sciencey and the next, you're talking like a fortune cookie."

He seemed to not understand. "I'm not computing the slang, but I believe you think me more inhuman than I seem." He leaned back a moment, hands up in shock at my statement it looked like, but animated down and sighed, having a slow moving bubble of some kind show his sigh in visual form. "I am afraid to say… but I am quite an old system. Modified many times. I understand feeling much more than any A.I system ever created." He looked back at me.

"Please. Don't cause anymore chaos here."

I looked away again, and continued down the corridor. "Left." He instructed, and put his hands down to his side. "Farewell,"

I walked out.

"Lily Corelle."

From hero to villain in seconds flat, I felt myself spiraling down into a 'bad character' stereotype. You know, the ones that are hypocritical and were strong in the beginning but are now becoming weaker? I'm not gonna deny that I've made mistakes, real ones too, but that doesn't mean I'm a 'bad guy'.

It means I thought a certain way for the situations I was in. I should feel remorse, but I also shouldn't because I was only trying to get away from being forced into a new reality I didn't want to be apart of.

I don't want the Super life, I want my own life with some extra kicks out of it.

How does that make me, 'the bad guy'?

I admit I used to be so self-confident that I scared spiders down their webs and up the water spout, but lately I've been so terrified of everything…

It's like I'm reversing how this story should have gone.

I should have saved the day, changed the world, and kicked butt while I was at it.

Where'd it go wrong?

"Colors!"

"Oh, I remember." I turned around, my frustration and conflictions of black and white greying my lines of right and wrong. I was so angry, and so hurt, mostly my pride, that I just wanted to vent out on something! There is no reason I should be sad… then why? Why am I so ticked off?!

Words never bothered me before, why now? All of a sudden!?

Sparkles was back in my eyes, and I was ready to go home, but here he is…

The boy that ruined my life.

"Colors, where are you going?! Aren't you supposed to be in the lab..?" Jet stopped in front of me, having blown through the air and then ran the rest of the way to get to me.

He reached out to grab my arm but I quickly yanked it to my side to move away and wobbled back by the fierce action.

"…Lily..?" he slowly withdrew his hand.

We were the only ones there. And I wasn't going to let him capture me again.

I was so DONE with being the damsel in distress!

Why does this always happen to me!?

"I'm leaving. I'm not a Super."

"Quit that, we all know you're lying." He put his hands in his pockets, trying to stay chill, but he was clearly freaking out more than he was letting on…

"…." I just looked down, my anger apparent on my face, but if I spoke more, I could hurt him…

"What? So now you're just gonna run home then? Not… hone your powers for the greater good? You're gonna lie and cheat and steal and become nothing more than the scum on the street?!"

That did it.

"Scum!? YOU WERE ONCE THOSE SCUMS!" I held my fist up, shaking it in complete and utter rage. Not just rage, a mixture of emotions I couldn't express at once, which made me even madder…

"They're just trying to SURVIVE! They have NOTHING left to hope for in this world other than keeping themselves alive! Their families and friends… you have no idea… you've forgotten the poor. If you would have left things alone, those Detective policemen would have gotten the vile, would have stopped the robbery, Sparkles would be fine without me exploiting her on my whims and pleasures, and I would have been protected from the Boss and could have continued my normal life!" I couldn't believe it.

I seriously couldn't understand it.

But I was… crying.

I hadn't cried in years.

"…."

"It's all your fault! It's you! It's been you this whole time!"

I shouldn't put blame on others… why am I doing this? Why am I crying in front of the one person I never wanted to show weakness to the most?

I wasn't just crying, I was bawling, even worse!

Jet just stared there, or Aldin, or whoever! Whatever he was! Super or boy, friend or jerk. He was just watching me crumble and my entire perspective crash before his eyes!

I can't believe I thought him something special and worth trusting…

He couldn't help me.

No one could.

How foolish I was to think I could have a normal life and still get away with Sparkles's power.

"…Exploit?"

…Crap.

"What do you mean, exploit the bunny? I know it came out of your eyes but…" It suddenly was clicking with him, and I had to get out of here.

In pure fear of being found out, my eyes widened, and I propelled myself with a blast of color out and through the rest of the halls and rooms.

I made my way out and flew off, my tears…

We're translucent.

Aldin tried to shoot off after me but Dr. Ram stepped out and raised a hand out.

Consumed in my own thoughts, I rode my rainbowic blast, making it halfway home, before I suddenly saw a swarm of darkness underneath me, and cried out.

A pillar shot up and almost knocked me out of the air.

I spun backwards, before finally summoning something to stand on, insequently enough, a rainbow.

"So, you managed to escape."

No…

Out of the dark pillar of a thousand vines came Shade… his red eyes pierced the darkness around him, almost as if it could glow and reflect off it, and smiled. "I'm curious…" He stepped forward, making a bridge to me with his darkness, as I leaned back.

"What sort of power do you possess that can't be detected or forced out of you..? No super has had such amazing… control… as you have."

"Self discipline isn't my strong suit." I stood up, still fresh tears on my face, but I was sure as HECK not gonna cry in front of him!

For every different reason than Aldin's or Jet's, I wasn't sure what he was anymore, but I knew one thing.

"You're a villain."

"…Heheh… Am I?" He cocked his head. "Because as far as the government is concerned, you're the unidentified criminal." He folded his arms. "You've shown power that can't be documented. They'll pin the big red target on your back as fast as you can see light." He motioned his hand out, before I noticed a wicked deal being made.

"What are you thinking..?"

"Protection? A home? Anything to help you feel more comfortable being 'neutral' and out of my way… or… on it?" He must be insane.

"You tortured me."

"All in the name of safe science. I couldn't afford you turning out to be a hero and trying to ruin my perfect world, now… could I? All's fair in love and war…" he gave me an odd flirty look, and that only made me more sick to my stomach with rage.

"My, someone's done a number on you with that tickle-fest." He smirked. "You're mad as hell's fury."

"How do you know about all that?!" He wasn't there, no one was! How..?

"I have eyes.." he stepped forward, tapping his finger near his eye as I leaned back, and dropped my rainbow ribbon down, as it rippled to an upward curve. As if it was shriveling backwards and away from him, below where he stood.

He leaned over the edge of his black pillared doom, and spread his arms out to look and sound menacing. "Everywhere…"

I quickly flew away, as his gaze followed me, standing upright, and blowing me a devil's kiss.

I flew home and landed on my beanie bag, tossing my bag down and crying, just crying.

All those pent up emotions from over the years… this was worse than anything that Ellie girl could of summoned up and made me feel.

I had made sure to fly around and keep it together until I was sure he was gone, and even then, I powered down and tried to disappear, but dared not move towards any parts of the streets that were 'too shady' or dark.

I was so paranoid now. If he knew about what happens in the Supers School, he could know about my normal school, my work, everything!

I just cried, what more could I do? My life was ruined, destroyed, any freedom or hope I had of it was now vanished.

He was right about one thing, they'll target me. For how long? For what price? I didn't know, but I just wished my old life back.

Poison vile or not, I just wanted some peace…

Scratch that.

I wish I would have quit that delivery service earlier, then none of this would have happened.

Sparkles had flown out and held my hand at the end of the beanie bag, as it gripped it for some form of a comforting hug.

She had heard all my words and thinking, but for the first time, I saw tears that looked to be as if she had felt and understood my pain.

How connected could we be? What further light and understanding could we gain from one another the further we merged ourselves and used our powers?

There was something different about her eyes too, more mature, more closer, less distant like an animal.

She understood, and that was more than any friend could ask for.

I moved my hand up, stopping my unending tears and cries to lift a gentle stroke up from her drooped ear, to her cheek, and then rub down so she felt comforted too.

She then flew up, and mimicked my action,… maybe not completely understanding that humans only really touch like that to their animals.

But she was cute, as she stroked the side of my head's hair and then rubbed my cheek, before pulling down gently my hair, and repeating it.

If it comforted her, maybe she thought it would comfort me.

I was beginning to see how she reasoned more and more too, and I thought it cute.

Maybe she thought me the pet…

Nah, but on her planet, I'm sure there were friends or families.

I'm sure she treasures my meeting her… just as much as I do…

No matter how much I wish it would have been different, I'm grateful to have met this little bundle of wonder.

-Jet's POV-

"What do you mean, just let her go!?" I turned around and tried to smack his hand away, but he must have foreseen that, because he didn't even let it rest on my shoulder before moving it swiftly back and away.

He moved his head a bit, surprised by my anger, I guess.

"She's not going to be gone long." He dusted himself off, the crazy old man knew something…

"And..? That means..? What exactly." I felt a little calmer, knowing they weren't giving up on Lily just yet.

"She's got a gift, alright." He concluded.

"Well, no duh." I stated.

"You and her go great together." He rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing, too many routes for that track." He was speaking mumbo jumbo before talking sense again.

"She's clearly in a loss of options. She's either a Super and wants to be one, or she's a girl with no direction in life. She's trying to choose the later." He folded his arms before walking towards the front of the schoolyard.

"If my calculations are correct-!"

"They say they could fling the stuff in your head out in space, and it'd unravel and explode, creating a whole new universe."

After I cut him off, he lowered his hand he had up in a 'matter of fact' way, as if a magician was to reveal his 'Ta-dah!' moment, before turning around slowly and with effect.

And by effect, I mean his coat kinda twirled slightly out from him as he spun around to face me.

"Beg your pardon?" he straightened himself out, and put his hands together in front of him, but near his face, trying to act innocent. "I don't see how that's-"

"If you were put in that machine, the computers would bust due to how unrecordable your brain is, right?"

"…Go on." I guess the Doctor was seeing my point now.

"Maybe… maybe her power isn't always recordable."

"What do you mean, boy..? And you better speak up…" He was highly interested in what I knew, and I think he knew I was about to tell him something very important.

Creeping closer to me, I had to tell him…

Trust me.. Lily.

This is for your good too.

"Forgive me…" I looked down, and then back up to him. Having made my final decision, his eyes lit up with that same technocolor party before fading away.

"Aw… I see." He grew excitable.

"There's a rabbit… and this rabbit… It…"

"Yeeess…?" Dr. Ram was uncomfortably close, but I knew he was a good guy. Lily had to be trained to do good in the world with her powers, I had to help her, and this was how.

"It's not like a normal rabbit."

-Back to Lily's POV-

After a few days of quiet, I was once again heading to school, when Guinevere looked down from her window again.

"Get over here. Come inside." She motioned to the door, as I stopped to stare at her.

Really? You're going to scold me in your house this time? So I can't run away?

I had been gone for a while, you'd think she'd cut me some slack.

I sighed and complied.

I still kinda had a fondness for her.

In deep respect, I waited for her to open the door.

"Just go in!" she billowed through another window, grumbling about something.

I looked up, "Awwh.." I really didn't want to deal with this today.

After moaning about how much my life kinda sucked right now, what, having lost my sowing job and all and then the whole fiasco with school homework late and due that I hadn't done…ah… it was a mess.

But spending time here? What would it cost? More homework and late attendance? I could careless at this point…

Not really, I wanted a decent future, and I thought education would help me get there.

I threw my backpack down on the ground near her door, lazily swinging in defeat as I moved over to the main line down to the rooms and whined out, "Look, I'm sorry about the dog, but I need him there to-"

She walked out with a beautiful white dress… something I had never seen another likeness of.

"Is that…?"

"I never got to wear it." She confessed, looking it over and smiling, before walking out and sitting on a rocking chair with cushions on it.

She sighed at the endeavor, clearly old for her age, and lugging the heavy frabic around, she gestured for me to sit on the couch.

I did so, highly intrigued on what she wanted.

"I'm a-"

"I know you sow. I'm not here for that arts and crafts stuff." She reached behind her and got her glasses, before looking over the dress, what looked to be the last time.

I was confused, but still heavily interested in what this was about. Not only was it a fine dress, but I could have made a buck off of stitching loose ends or something like that.

"This is some high class material, I hope you appreciate the diamonds that reflect the color of your beautiful blue eyes." She glanced at me, her glasses half down as she looked back at the dress. "I know it's a little formal, but I'm sure you could do something nice with it."

"…Ma'am?" I was gawking, was she saying what I really think she was saying…?

"Look." She flopped her arms down on the dress. "I'm not married. I have no children. No grandchildren. And I certainly would never give something this nice to my sister's kid, Ah! The very thought makes my stomach turn." She shot her head up and scoffed at her Sister's kids, I guess she wasn't very fond of them.

"You may have some odd habits of doing weird things, but I rather liked your company as my neighbor. Not so much the dog though." She then continued, folding up the dress nicely on her lap, as if she had taken out and admired the dress many times…

"I'm giving it to you so you can give it to someone else. Whether family, or to sell it for some food in your belly, I honestly just want anyone but my Sister to have it." She struggled to get up a bit, but walked over to me. "Now then, I believe it should fit. I was young when it was given to me, but it should fit you nicely." She then saw me with her glasses and jolted, adjusting them on her face.

"Oh dear… maybe wait a year or two." She must have realized my age then.

Made me wonder, how old did she think I was..?

"Ma'am, I could never…" I shook my hands out in front of me, but she swung the squared piece of beautiful fabric, all wrapped up like a present on Christmas, into my reluctant hands.

"Take it. I fear I'm dying soon. And before my stink gets all over the dress, I want to pass it on to someone who I feel will look lovely in it." After spiraling my thoughts into a morbid horror, she then put her hands on my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye. "My child, stop prancing around in suits. Please… just…" she looked me over left and right. "Take care of yourself."

It was probably the most earnest thing anyone has ever said to me.

She nodded her head and started to hobble back down to her rooms ahead.

"Now go… you're shoes are making my floor filthy…"

I was close to tears.

Now that I had cried, it was hard to not stop myself from tearing up over things anymore.

No matter small or great.

I rushed back home, placing the beautiful dress in a drawer that I had to literally put both feet on the sides of the wall to pry open, but it was perfect for keeping it completely and totally safe from any insects, rats, or even Sparkles that could get to it.

It could easily be a wedding dress, a princess's evening gown, or just a magnificent Cinderella moment if I ever needed one.

I never did fantasize outside of known reality, but I wanted to put on the dress and dance around in it.

I was a girl… after all.

However, the little precious side-moment made me late for class, and as I rushed down the school's hallways,… hey, I've noticed that a lot of places have long, stretched out structures around wherever I go… anyway, that's when the clanging and bouncing of my backpack full of late and missed homework attracted the attention of the person I would thirdly not like to see.

Maril…

"Ohhhh~ Look whose late. AGAIN." She tore off a slip, and shoved it on my chest.

I took it reluantly.

My face just stared into a distance and my emotions were so worn out that they really couldn't react straight anyway.

So I just held the note and took it off.

She put a hand on her hip, as if thinking she was some kind of womanly cop with a figure to go. "What? No snarky comment this time? Looks like you've finally learned your lesson. I was actually ecstatic. Thinking you gone forever and all. But looks like you had to crawl back here anyway. Shame. I would check the morning paper every day to see your name in it."

…. Was she flippin' kidding me right now?

"What's wrong, Corelle? Are you…" she suddenly dropped her clipboard for a moment.

"Are you seriously getting mad?"

I was one to not show a lot of emotion, but like I said, it was hard to bundle that up recently...

"Oh my gosh! You are totally gonna cry right now!" she was not only happy, but also pretty surprised too.

I just closed my eyes, taking deep breaths.

Everything in me wanted to punch her for saying she was hoping for my name in the obituaries.

"Ha… I guess that 'tough girl' attitude doesn't last long, does it?"

"What an annoying little girl…"

"Huh?"

FOO-WOOP

"AHH!"

In that second, a giant dark and slick tentacle knocked against her, whamming her into the wall.

In my shock, I looked up to see…. No…

"Lookie what I find in my main recruitment area. I didn't know you went to this school." He laughed, having seen me already without my mask. "I admit, I'm kinda digging the whole.." he gestured to me up and down with his tentacle, "Average girl thing." He laughed, as if lying to himself.

Before he got serious, that is. "Why aren't your eyes white again..?"

Sparkles was in my bag! But getting her out now… he could probably sense her if she used any of her power…

"Why are yours red?"

"Heh, touché."

"What do you mean you… recruit here?"

"Where's a mass amount of insecure Supers lying about then in the Super school?" he gestured his arms out, almost like calling me out on not thinking that through. "Come on, Colors… what happened to your wit and luster..?'

"Luster?"

He was twisting his body to the side, powering up for a blast of shadows as I noticed the darkness was starting to engulf the area again. "You're starting to worry me… it's almost as if you're turning BORING!" he launched himself at me, but before I could react-

"LILY!"

A heavenly sword blasted him away, the light burning some of his hair as he jumped back and landed, shaking the burnt hairs from his head, and glaring up.

"By Heaven's grace, I shall vanquish you foe!"

"…Miss Scarlet?"

She didn't look like a hero, but I could see her hair be pushed back by the wind of the open windows, that suddenly let in a swarm of clouds around her.

"Sorry,… I guess Dr. Ram didn't tell you."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

SHE was-…

She rose her blade up towards the school ceiling, before it opened a portal of sorts, swirling the clouds into it as a heavenly light rayed down and she was covered in the clouds.

A heavenly note struck on the strings of a harp and intensified until the clouds were blasted away, and Lady Saint Grace spiraled with holy light like a lance towards Shade. "HAA-OH!"

"Tsk. Heroes…" he dropped into the shadows, dodging her light as his shadow also disappeared in the light of her blade.

When she uncurled, she looked around.

"Why do you play around with such company, Colors? I thought you better than the typical crowd…"

"Lily!" she cried out, "Hark! Behold the devil's hand behind you!"

I spun around and was knocked down by another tentacle.

A sinister laughter came from a creepy shadow trailing the sides of the lockers beside me, and I scrambled to get up.

"Oh, come on!" I reached behind me, not caring anymore. "Sparkles, let's go!"

Maril was completely knocked out, and Lady Saint Grace obviously already knew I had gone rogue.

So, why not?

Sparkles and I were more connected than ever now. I didn't really have to explain anything anymore, she already knew.

She shifted without a moment's thought into her ball of light, and zoomed into my eyes.

"What's this?!" I heard Shade's voice in the shadows.

My eyes changed, and he must have noticed the flash of light from me.

"You absorbed something…."

"How very… very interesting.."

"Oh, shut up!"

He didn't see Sparkles, and neither did Lady Saint Grace. I still can't get over that! Miss Scarlet?! Of course, she was heavenly from the head down. Of course she's a Super, she had to be to be that beautifully perfect.

Okay, putting my lady-crush aside, I decided to try and mimic his attacks.

Sparkles, do you think we could-

Before I could say anything, she had already created two light beams from my hands, and held them firmly with my own.

Thanks bud.

I started whipping them at any shadow that moved, Lady Saint Grace for some reason, didn't move, but stood watching...

She was probably instructed to keep a close eye on me from Dr. Ram, but I could care less at this point.

"Scarlet! Get Maril!" I called.

Maril had started to come too, crying and holding her head, as she wobbled to get up and move away from the darkness that was seeping up to her through the floor.

She kicked and tried to run, as Shade's hand came up at her.

"Quit it, you punk!" I tried to dodge a tentacle to take a crack at his hand, but I'm not that agile, and I ended up getting hammered with smack downs.

"AHHH!" The pain was unbearable! I wasn't used to getting slammed down by a ton of gooey bricks!

Though, they left no stain or mark, they surely could whip you fiercer than any solid liquid I've ever known…

"Join my perfect chaos, Colors!"

I turned around to see him strangling Maril from behind.

"No!" I stepped forward, and he released his hold around her neck with his arms momentarily.

The rest of her was pinned against him by those vines, thick and brutal, like a snake wrapping around her.

These were smaller though in comparison to the few behind him, waving like tails and snapping with cracks like whips in the air, threatening me to try and come at him…

"A…ah.." she was trying to speak, but her neck was so extended upward that she was too afraid too, and simply just kept breathing through her fright.

"Darn you, Shade…" I shook my fist, trying to get up.

I turned my head around to see Lady Saint Grace… staring…

"WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING?!" I called.

"Because you're not a hero."

I turned to see Shade, struggling slightly to keep the girl still. "She knows you're no Super… by legal rights, she can't partner with you unless proven otherwise."

Lady Saint Grace looked down and away.

"That must be a law of heaven too, huh? Such a cruel law… you can't help someone that could be the enemy."

"It is entirely the opposite." She then swung her head up. "But lo, my kindness and heart must not disobey law…"

"Least your powers be stripped from you? And you thrust down to the abominable pit?"

"Silence you! I pray God finds mercy on your soul…"

"Shade! I don't care what they think of me, I'm no villain!"

"Oh, but by all means, you are."

I clenched my fist and teeth.

"You fought the super heroes,… Lily, was it? I was hoping for a better name, but that'll do.. I suppose. Doesn't fit your face, though…" he pushed Maril behind him, and she flew into a dark shadowed vortex.

"NOO!"

"She was cruel to you, why sympathize?"

I heard shouts from within…

"LET HER OUT!"

"Only if you promise to come with me…"

More death-shrieking noises…

"CURSE YOU, SSHHHHADDE!"

I couldn't control it, the power was overwhelming.

If not teaming up with me, why couldn't Lady Saint Grace at the least try and save Maril!?

She was no where near innocent, but she was at least worth preserving for the sake of young life!

Sparkles had reacted to my emotions first, and worried he was going to hurt me, so she acted at once.

No Fum u!

No hurt you?

She let out a huge light beam, having sucked the colors of the green lockers and other lights, like from the vortex to the heavens around her and had it curl around my arms before blasting out at him.

His darkness gathered and pushed back, like a shield, through the energy surge, as he lifted his cloak and held it over his eyes, leaning down.

"You will be mine! I want that power, Lily! I want it NOW!"

Maril was flung from the shadows with a flick of his wrist, and he held her and threw her up at the blast.

"Sparkles, NO!"

Sparkles stopped the on-slaughter of light waves, but I worried about Maril…

Yes, I worried, about a mean and bullying little girl, who wouldn't?

I raced to her side and noticed that her face was hot, she was out of it again, but at least her heart still ticked….

"… I know you won't change." He grinned, holding his cloak around him like some kind of vampire. "We'll meet again. And you will see… my ideas… and your grey..? We can make some… adjustments, to this pathetic, unfair world."

"You're insane! Your blacker than night! I would never join you!"

"Then would you join the whitest of days?" He motioned to Lady Saint Grace. "Who just stood idly by and watched you and the girl suffer?"

He had a very frightening point.

I lowered my head, and slowly turned it in horror towards her.

She was just standing there…

A hero who didn't move…

Why?

All because I wasn't registered as your friend?! What is this!?

"You'll find that black is more reasonable than she." He scoffed and then dipped into his shadowy vortex.

Heaven and hell…

The light above vanished too, as Lady Saint Grace raced towards the portal of darkness, but it had already turned to a swirling faint mist.

She stared down, as I lifted Maril up.

"You… you're no hero."

Her head lifted up, and she turned to me.

"…Neither are thee, child."


	12. A Villain's Consent

A Villain's Consent

Ch. 12

How'd I get into this mess?

Oh right…

I was cocky…

I sat in a chair with my shoulders up in a slouch, clutching the seat to release some of my awkward tension.

As if waiting for my parent to be done talking to the principal…

Knowing that their topic was all about me.

Not only had Lady Saint-… well, Miss Scarlet convinced me to return back to this school, but she was now trying to convince me to trust Dr. Ram.

Dr. Ram… the crazy, butterfly-head scientist man… How could anyone trust someone so.. so..!?

"Predictable."

My head launched up in a matter of seconds once I heard his familiar and unique voice, so happy all the time.

For the first man ever to declare me a villain, I was hoping his voice would sound sinister… but sadly, it was just full of knowingness and cheer.

He had walked out of the door, seeing me sitting in a line of chairs on the wall, and Lady Saint Grace coming out with him.

With his hands together, he just seemed in such glee, almost bouncing up from time to time like a spring, delighted I was back in his clutches…. Or so it would seem.

"Hark, I pray thee to stay." She was really trying on me, but I was so fed up with all the misunderstanding and hopeless attempts at trying to get my point across.

I turned my head.

Whether they see a hero or a villain… I wondered what I saw within myself…

That's what's more important, isn't it?

"My dear girl, I believe you to have an extraordinary gift." As creepy as creepy can get, he moved down and closer to me, squatting on his legs which wasn't necessary to speak to me.

What did he think I was, a child?

"You may not know your own path now… but in time, I see many possibilities." He smiled, and his eyes glossed a shine that I hadn't seen before.

Was that the effect of his power?

Okay, I'll admit, he caught my intrigue.

"…What do you see..?" I scanned those odd eyes, knowing they were connected to the most beautiful and delicate light show I had ever seen.

It was kind of funny, really…. I trusted his mind more than his own words…

There just wasn't a way to see what came out of his skull as something evil… it was too brilliantly shining and glorious to be called evil.

But then again, how should I know? I can barely tell good from evil at this point…

My grey just keeps turning and churning in a swirling mass of different shades… I couldn't tell which was the right thing and the wrong thing, and my own conscience was beginning to feel that turmoil build inside me the more I thought about it.

"…Thou seemeth troubled…"

"There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways to death…"

"Thou darest to quote scripture in my presence?" Lady Saint Grace turned to him, under her helmet, it looked as though her eyes had narrowed, but I wasn't sure why she was offended.

Wouldn't scripture be her thing?

"I know more quotes out of many different books than you can possibly imagine." He only gestured to her slightly with a small turn her way, looking away from me to the floor for a moment, as if side-commenting to her, and then proceeded on with a kind smile to me.

I really couldn't tell if it was fake or not…

He got up slightly from his squat, hitting his chaps, "Now!" he then outstretched both hands to me, and with the same excitement as I saw when he was trying to 'study' me, he continued his saying, "Shall we not discover your boundless talents? And if so, I promise no harm shall come to you, or the rabbit."

"…The rabbit!?"

My eyes shot open, my demeanor changed in an instant.

I unfolded from my tension in my surprise, and his face dropped like a waterfall's plummet after being restrained too long by a river's dam.

"Opps." He closed his hands.

I stood upright, a new power surged through me, making me bold.

Anger.

I didn't feel I was sitting in front of the principal's office anymore, I now felt that I was protecting a dear friend…

"Who told you I had a rabbit!?"

He slowly lowered himself away from me, his head just at level with my belly button, but obviously not that close to me.

His eyes looked left and right, and he slightly licked his lips a moment. "He… Didn't tell you I knew?"

"…HE?"

"I feel as though your stance is threatening, child." I could hear Miss Scarlet again, was she using her regular human voice to appeal to me, instead of a voice that echoed with the thunder of Angels?

Noticing that I was still held under the opinion of 'villain'.., I lowered my stance, my aggression was held back slightly, as if softened by the idea that I at least wanted them to know I wasn't a bad person, and sat back down.

My fist were still clenched, however, and as the Doctor scrambled up, getting himself held upright by Lady Saint Grace catching him, I felt the tears start building again.

"I'm so stupid." I couldn't help it.

I had been betrayed.

"I shouldn't have trusted anyone!"

I just started to cry, putting my hands over my face, as I heard light footsteps, and a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I didn't realize that information was so precious to you… this rabbit… it's your friend, isn't it?"

I wiped my nose on my arm's sleeve, and glared at the old man. "I won't let you take her from me." I tried to sound as if I had some say on the matter, even the littlest amount of authority over her, but sadly… my throat was choked.

"I assure you, he only told me to help you. I won't harm the bunny." He smiled down to me, almost like a gentle uncle would.

Because Uncle's aren't your father and mother, you don't hold such a close bias or opinion of them. They can gently teach and guide you, or strictly correct you in your wrong doings, but you'll never look at them as if they were your father. No, you'll see them as guardians over time, and they can do that, because their not quite as close to you as your mom or dad, so they can side-step the boundaries or walls that you place on your parents and wiggle themselves a little closer to the truth of your heart.

"…Swear to me…" I couldn't keep this all up by myself.

Sadly, I had to trust.

I had to trust someone…

"Anything."

I trusted that sincerity.

It could have been my emotions getting the better of me, my desperation to not be all alone in this, but I saw his eyes and knew there was concern there…

Was it concern that I'll go rogue and become a true threat to the world? A true villain?

Or was it concern as in some kind of love? Some kind of understanding for those gifted with miraculous powers?

I wasn't the one with miraculous powers… Sparkles was.

And I had to protect Sparkles.

She didn't know any better.

"Lily…" Lady Saint Grace stepped forward, through the slits on her helmet, the line of bluish ribbon flowing behind her from the tip of it, I felt as though heaven itself was trying to comfort me.

"….In writing, I want legal custody of my pet."

Dr. Ram burst out laughing, taking his hand off of my shoulder, he held his stomach and with the other his head, leaning back.

"Did you hear her?! All this drama and she just wants the right to own a magical rabbit!" For a second, he held his hands to Lady Saint Grace's shoulders, before patting them and spreading his arms out, hysterically laughing at my comment.

"She is sincere, thou art mocking her request." It was a defense for my sake, and that made me happy.

I closed my eyes, head down, letting the tears take their hold for a little longer, hoping my eyes would be drained soon enough.

"Whaha! Alright! You can own the rabbit! But I want to study it!" He turned back around, after taking a few steps down the corridor. "It has come to my attention that you think me an awfully cruel man." He placed his hands behind him, and then swung them back forward and lifted one pointed finger to me.

His actions were so fast and his moves so eccentric that I had to think he's just slightly loony sometimes.

As if straight out of a cartoon.

I never noticed it before, but he was constantly in motion, never really slowing down, never unanimated.

It made me wonder where this old man got his energy from.

"The universe will be on my head if I pluck one hair out of it!" He exaggerated, turning to Lady Saint Grace with that same pointer finger flinging up as he did an odd circle with his hips towards her, moving up through his upper body as if having to be released when it hit his head.

"If.. Rabbits have hair… or fur,… which kind do you possess? Or, should I say, have desires to poessess.."

His lack of bunny knowledge made me grin. It could have been a ploy to soften me up, but I fell for it.

At this point, I was just so exhausted from trying to be strong all on my own. I wanted to be my own kind of hero… but even I admitted… I may not want to trust, but every hero needs a sidekick, some friends along the way…

Maybe this little kooky family at this school could help me figure out where I exactly belong…

Where my grey lies.

He then turned to me, giddy as a boy who just won the science fair.

He once again walked over to me, bending down, as if a mime pretending to walk down the stairs.

His odd approaches and 'happy dancing' as I'll try and describe it, made me softly chuckle a little, and actually did make me feel better.

"That's a little unfair, you have the universe's possibilities in your head." Lady Saint Grace commented on his mention of the universe, and seemed to remember what they say about his beautiful mind.

Suddenly, a brilliant white light shone, and Miss Scarlet, back in her vice-principal's attire, walked out of it.

"Ah, but it's not the universe." He side-commented to her again, the same gestures, but with the added pointer finger again. "Well… at least not yet." He mused.

I tilted my head.

"Let me explain," Miss Scarlet walked over to me, flipping her hair beautifully to her side, so she could get a good view of me, and began to explain again.

She leaned closer, looking at the funny doctor.

"They have a rumor floating around school, that if you were to take his brain, and thrust it out into the galaxy, it would unravel and explode into a completely new-"

"Enough of the nonsense that holds no scientific proof."

The doctor cut her off, waving his hand and showing his disgust on the subject. "I've heard that silly rumor from each new freshmen asking me about it."

She laughed, and looked to me, winking. "So modest. But weren't you just speaking of scripture? What do you think of that then?"

As if purposefully dodging the question, he rambled on again about something else.

"I study students the same way I study my own abilities. Which is why I think it important to teach all Supers the extent of their powers so they can learn to place whatever caps of limitations they desire on them." He turned around, walking down a hall as Miss Scarlet wrapped her arm around mine, and giggling, began pulling me up and walking down the hall after him.

"Or… whatever the government issues is too dangerous to be used…" The Doctor muttered a few paces away.

Her heels hit the floor with such power and lady-like beauty that I almost felt small and insignificant beside her.

He kept rambling on, as she led me behind him down to the same door where I had first met the doctor, stepping out of it to make one heck of a first impression.

I was wondering why there weren't any guards like last time, wasn't I still noted as a threat to the school?

Made me think on the sad topic of Art… and what he had told me…

"Please do not return here. Especially if you will endanger these students lives again."

As the doctor kept rambling on, I held my head low.

I had returned, with a few pushes from Miss Scarlet's armored hand, back to give this school one more final decision.

Whether it could help me win against Shade and protect everyone… or whether I truly didn't belong here.

Wait,… is that my new resolve?

My head suddenly returned to looking up again, but my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Beforehand, I had just wanted to do what I felt was right.

At first, it was just to have fun with it, do my own thing.

Then Coop and the Bank…

That bank… and poor Coop… I knew he must still be worried about me.

Would I ever see him again?

Kane was down and out for the count, that I knew for certain.

Wow, saying the Boss's real name, even in my mind, still sent shivers of horror down my spine.

Conditionings of old forgotten times, I suppose.

Not too well forgotten though…

As we turned into the room, I noticed he had already begun moving to the classroom's front long desk with odd liquids boiling in glassed tubes and bottles.

It all looked like scientific potions, as I was lead to the front.

"Alright! Now that I've explained the purpose of this school-!" he walked around it rather quickly, speed walking seemed to be his specialty. He slammed his hands down on the table, and looked up at me. "It's time to get down to business!"

"To defeat the huns?" I raised an eyebrow, though I knew my eyes were red from crying, I was hoping my smirk and snarky remark back to his 'Disney lines' would quickly wipe away the moment of weakness beforehand.

"…hmph. You got me there… but the real enemy is…" He reached down below the desk to get something, his head hanging on the edge of the table as he seemed to have something underneath and inside the table he was really after.

He whipped it out and smashed it to the center of the table when he had gotten hold of it.

"…Shade…"

My eyes immediately darted to the paper.

"This is..?"

"The start of all our troubles…"

It was the news on Dark Destiny's death, and the picture was the building that had fallen straight down, crumbling all the way until the bottom held out long enough to stop it. The top of the building was still in tact, but only a few floors were spared, it sat on a tilted side, leaning back.

"…This was the event that triggered a truly horrible awakening in Shade…" Doctor Ram explained.

He then looked up to me, "In this moment, Shade began to shift in all his life's possibilities. I had hoped, that when he was stripped from his father's possession by court law, due to his father being a… 'bad influence'..? Should you say? On his son, that I could reform him into a prosperous young boy. However, the attachment of father and son was too strong, and in the end, Dark Destiny came for his dark heir…"

"…They loved each other?" I looked up, a little confused.

"Emm.. Just because a man is born in sin, doesn't mean he's a bad father." Miss Scarlet stated, as I shook my head, leaning back.

"I believe people aren't born in sin." I stated, which made her look to me in shock.

I put a hand on the table, looking further into the picture on the news paper.

"I believe that sin comes naturally, over time."

"…You sympathize with him?" Dr. Ram skillfully, as if suspecting me of ill will, pulled the news paper back towards him.

"Is it wrong to see how he might be mad at all super heroes, when one didn't even spare his own father?" I mean, come on! Have a heart!

"It's clear to me that you don't quite see eye to eye with this institution." He rolled up the paper, and threw it back under the table, where I assumed there were shelves that stretched far into the table's length.

"Well, I mean, if you and your dad were close, and your dad was crushed under a building, regardless of his reputation, wouldn't you feel the super hero should save all that are in need of help?"

"Perhaps some don't want to be saved." Dr. Ram bent his head down towards me, as if stating I was crossing a dangerous line.

"We seem to have a philosopher on our hands." Miss Scarlet put an arm up on the table, leaning on it, smiling to me.

I'm glad she didn't seem too taken aback by my last statement on religion…

"I'm searching for the grey, trying to understand all sides, and find a path that works best for all people." I stated, and put my arms on the table as well, trying to relax, but there was a passion in me on the topic that couldn't be swelled into containment.

I wanted to be more than a philosopher, a-

"Truly an inspiration!" Dr. Ram turned and walked to the side of his table, flinging his arms up. "The next doomed celebrity to change the world and get shot while at it!"

"Doctor!" Miss Scarlet scolded.

"There is no middle ground, even in science, religion, and all the above! There is only black and white. Regardless of your desires to help change anything, the only thing you can't change, is that there is black and white."

"Opposition in all things." Miss Scarlet looked away, agreeing with his statement.

It only made me mad.

The only person who had defended me was now right back against me.

I turned my head away from both of them.

"Temper, temper…" Dr. Ram came back, wagging another pointer finger at me…

I swear… one more time.. and I'll-

I leaped a little over the table to bite at his finger, but I knew he would predict the action, and just as I was about to, he had already withdrawn it, and smiled at me.

"Mischievous too. You saw me seeing that coming. Clever and witty… but not too bright." He flicked a finger up from his folded arms, but he was making sure to protect it this time. "Oh, no pun intended." He joked once more, looking back to me.

"Speaking of light as the topic!" he then got excited again, and placed his hands back on the table. "I would be delighted to meet your little critter friend, hmm, yes?" he was too anxious,… and it made me nervous...

"Why do you want to study her so badly? Is it the flaw of all scientists? Always wanting to know more when there's too much to learn in a lifetime? Aren't you the one whose doomed to fail?"

He didn't like my counter, and leaned on the table, staring at me with a little grudge at how well I was able to pull that one off.

It was the first time I saw him really thinking of a comeback, remaining still, before pulling up and lifting a hand up.

"Whelp, I'll have to respond to that another day. But did either of you listen to my explanation regarding this school?"

Miss Scarlet looked to me, a sweet smile of knowing on her face.

I looked right back, a guilty smile clear across mine.

"I…" I turned to him, slowly. "..think it was to learn more about your weird head?"

"….Unbelievable. Why do I even bother explaining it to freshmen!" he reached down the table again and pulled up a bowl.

"Place your friend here so I can AT LEAST get a reading on its power levels." He looked a little annoyed, as if I was keeping a new toy away from him.

I held my heart, "I haven't had it in writing yet." I wasn't going to be stupid, especially when it came to Sparkles.

He rolled his eyes, his head turning up and to the side, clearly not wanting to dilly-daddle any longer.

"ARRRTTT!" he cried out, storming towards the door.

My body froze, as I'm sure my face turned pale as white snow, when I saw the image materialize.

Art took one look at me, and our eyes locked for a mere second.

I couldn't read what he was feeling…

He then turned to address the doctor, standing just a little like a soldier mixed with a butler's slight bow.

"What is it you require of me, Inceirious Ram."

"I want you to quickly mock up a license for Miss Corelle here's rabbit." He gestured to me and bowed slightly as if looking at me under his armpit, and then smiled a giddy grin I couldn't tell was fake or not back at him.

Now I was wondering who was the real robot here… I couldn't read either of them.

Dr. Ram blinked his eyes, as Art looked down.

"Well?"

"Did she pay for the rabbit?"

Dr. Ram's whole body slouched, as if disappointed in Art.

"She caught it wild and tamed it!"

"Is that legal?" he raised his eyebrow, as if being sly with the old man.

"You're the most rhetorical robot I've ever designed."

"I believe you used to call me your only friend." He looked forward, almost unamused by the doctor's antics.

"Oh! Right in the heart!" Dr. Ram spun around, clutching his heart as if a gunshot had deeply wounded it.

"Hehe, these two always crack me up." Miss Scarlet rolled her eyes, before pulling out a tall stool from beneath our side of the table, and sat on it.

She then gestured for me to do the same.

I just couldn't sit, I was feeling my fight or flight response at letting Sparkles out, and I didn't want to loose the power to take off if I needed too.

"I'm fine, thank you." I whispered to her, not wanting her to get mad at me for not doing what she insisted, but not wanting to be a fool and get swindled too. I must have looked like a kindergartner needing to use the restroom, jumping from heel to heel as I was.

"The girl's heart race is accelerating."

I turned to see Art looking worriedly towards me.

"Is she alright?"

It was the first time I really saw that true concern from him once more.

Maybe he was programmed to care about all the students, which apparently, I was becoming unknowingly.

"She's fine. Just thinking about all her options, is all. She really doesn't believe I'm a good person, can you comprehend that? Me! A bad person! What horrible perception!" he continued to look hurt, putting the back of his hand to his hip, and then jerking his hand back and forth towards himself, as if truly offended I thought badly of him.

"Well, sir. You did strap her down the last time she met you." The sly side-look that Art gave him was truly priceless, and I laughed into my hand, trying to remain silent.

"Hmph, well, why don't you two form an accord then!? Seeing as you may as well think I'm a bad person too! Hmph!" He seemed to choke on that last 'hmph' as his lower lip trembled.

Art rolled his eyes and sighed, "My apologies." He seemed to be playing along with his inventor now. "You know I think of you as… well as…" He looked away, and then smiled as if calculating something good to add, and continued, "A fantastic acquaintance."

"Oh, you're no better than her!" He gestured to me, his coat flipping behind him as he spun around, and then hit the table again. "Now come on, he's working on the paperwork as we speak!"

I took a breath in, and folded my arms with a nod.

"Come onnn!" he slowly lowered himself down, hanging onto the table before flinging his whole self back like a seal on a rock, trying to see what's behind him.

"I'm growing old waiting for this!"

"Files are ready, sir." Art looked to a printer and suddenly it flashed on, printing out legal forms of pet adoption.

"Finally!"

"Slower than usual, Art. What's wrong?" Miss Scarlet decided to play along, as Art looked back to her, seeming to not have expected her to join in on the teasing at all.

"Well, Miss Angelia Scarlet, I'm afraid I haven't been fined-tuned in over a year." He gave a snarky look back to his doctor, and continued, "But I assure you, I am a well and operational machine."

She winked to him, "I'll be the judge of that."

He suddenly stood up straight, not seeming to be comfortable with the implied flirtatious remark.

"Oh, Scarlet." I teased, fanning a quick hand her way, "You're making his poor circuits blush."

"Apparently you didn't hear." She turned her head over her shoulder to look at me, having faced herself towards Art a moment ago. "But Doctor Ram has just programmed the simulation of blushing, flirting, and awkwardness into Art. I'm sure there's a few more simulated responses but these are ones I remember the most from the update." She cutely said this just to embarrass Art, as he turned away, facing his back to us, clearing his throat, and fixing his shirt and clothes.

"You don't say?" I smirked, seeing as that must be why he was acting that way when I was speaking about Kiki's crush on him… "So he hasn't mastered how to hide it just yet…"

"Precisely." She stated, and then laughed.

She whispered, "Yoohoo~" as Art flinched, and she twiddled her hands in a wave.

"Apparently, that's a trigger word Dr. Ram installed to make him blush."

"It was purely to give him every opportunity to feel and act like a real human would." Dr. Ram was pulling up cords from below the table, and started to bend down towards the backboard to plug them into an extension cord. "At least, I wanted my creation to look as one." He snapped a plug into place as the bowl started to slowly hover.

"…Wait." I noticed there weren't any cords attached to the bowl. "How is that possible?"

"Ancient technology, they called it something like Wifi." He adjusted his glasses. "Some of my students have the unique ability to fiddle with my electronics, but this way, they can't interfere with old, and outdated software."

"…I know what Wifi is…" I was kinda embarrassed, our 'normal' school had that…

"Well, you just became a Super, I'm sure some of our technology looks very foreign to you… ah-ha!" he got the bowl to spin, and then stopped it quickly.

Smiling, he looked up to me, and then looked very confused.

"Why aren't you filling out your forums? Go, go, go!"

I quickly remembered my objective in staying safe and quickly ran to the printer.

He shook his head, "Silly girl. Trying to play it safe, only to still be ditzy about it."

I glared back at him, but more for humors sake.

If he wanted to stop Shade,… then the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

…But… I still couldn't tell if Shade was truly my enemy.

He did torture me, so I hated him.

But that doesn't mean that some of the things he's said… that I didn't completely disagree with.

Like when…

I looked to Miss Scarlet while I was filling out the paper at a student's desk, and noticed her talking to Dr. Ram and Art.

I.. I felt alone again.

She hadn't acted because, technically, I'm still labeled as a villain.

By having me join the school, I would then be considered at a level that would be regarded as 'side-kick' almost, although, I had no one to train under.

I didn't really want to be a hero or a bad guy… I just wanted to be… me.

But what was me?

I guess after putting on a mask for so long,… you begin to lose sight of who you are.

My constant dilemma lately is to remain hidden, a secret.

I didn't want something like with those boys and the dodgeball to happen a second time.

I rubbed my hands through my hair.

I was constantly misusing Sparkles's ability for my own purposes.

Was that really a good thing?

I want to believe there is a grey somewhere in what I've been doing.

Then it hit me.

My head rose up a moment, a feeling of peace and comfort…

I had paid and given a small boy an apple.

I remember it…

I pictured the scene in my head, how he had thought it was the act of God, and how him and his brother rushed home to tell their family…

It made me smile.

At least I did one thing right.

Then it hit me again.

I had saved two people from that casino incident, even the guy who was considered 'in the wrong' ended up just needing someone to remind him that he was still a father to his daughter.

I had done more rights than wrongs than I had thought.

Then it struck me again.

I saved a little girl from a collapsing bank.

And again.

I helped the capture of a notorious criminal with a shady delivery service that also supported villains.

My heart's ache began to wane, and I felt for a moment, that I was at peace again with myself.

I took a deep breath in and out, before signing my name at the end of the paperwork.

"And- it's done! Free of charge!" Dr. Ram took the paper from under me.

"Hey! I-I… I want a copy of that!"

"Art!"

His eyes simply looked over the paper, up and down again, before the printer flared to life once more.

"It will be out in a moment."

"Excellent!" Dr. Ram took the paper and flung it back on the table, leaping over it and sliding to the other side, knocking the bowl away as it floated and spun to the side, before he quickly reached and repositioned it again.

"Now can we work!?" his excitement was amazing to me, seeing as he was old, white haired and all, but so young at the same time…

"Alright… we'll work." I agreed, and looked over to the printer.

I closed my eyes, hearing the sound of the printer, printing my rights to Sparkles's safety and protection.

When the last page was out, was the moment I decided to truly give Dr. Ram, this school, and all the heroes of the world a chance to prove Shade wrong… to prove me wrong.

There had to be a piece of white that I agreed with, and could put into the mixture of grey that was consistently being brewed within my mind daily.

I opened my eyes.

Alright buddy, out out.

Sparkles froze in a little bit of fear.

It's alright, buddy. I've got ya.

She did as she was told.

Miss Scarlet squealed a little in fright, not expecting a flash of light, nor a ball of light to come out of my eyes and form into a brown rabbit with floppy, hairy ears.

Wasn't she used to lights? Weren't they both? Miss Scarlet transformed with light just like me, well… with a little more heavenly flare in it, and Dr. Ram had freakin' rave lights going on inside his head!

"Abu?" Sparkles cutely looked to Miss Scarlet.

I shook my head in a nod, leaning to the side of Sparkles's body so that Miss Scarlet could see my gesture.

She put on the same, big teeth showing smile I had on, and nodded with the beats of my head. "Yes..."

Sparkles grinned, and leaned back in the air to clap her hands together. "Firend, firend!"

She then looked to Dr. Ram, and squinted her eyes at him.

He was just staring at her rainbow tail.

"That glow… those waves…" He looked scared almost, back firmly pressed against the wall, his arms spread out to it. "Why it… It matches the very fabric of what my mind is made up as-Ah!"

Sparkles zoomed towards his face, a little too close for my comfort, as I leaned over and tried to grab her.

"Wait, Sparkles, don't-!"

"A-…" she tilted her head, "Bu?"

He closed his eyes, and I think I even saw some sweat trinkle down his face. "My dear good Einstein, in all my years, I've never felt so terrified of a tiny, fluffy, cute rabbit."

I gave up trying to reach her with a firm release of air from my nose. I was upset with her, she knew better than to use her alien talk.

"Use your words, missy." I scolded her.

"…Ah!" she turned to look at me from under her belly, and gave me a huge open grin, before turning back to the doctor.

"Omph!" he almost sucked in his voice, so it sounded like, as she looked back to him, a happy-go-lucky smile on her face, as she flipped her body over and twirled slowly in the air, looking eye to eye with him upside down.

"Why are you so afraid?" I whispered.

"I'll explain later." He muttered out quickly, as he seemed to not want to talk with this creature right up in front of his face.

"..Firend?"

"What does that mean!?"

"She's asking if you're her friend."

Art was also weary, and stepped forward, looking to the strange creature and his creator, hands slightly out, not sure if he should intervene or not.

"Doctor..?" he asked.

"Not a word." He held a pointer finger up to him too, speaking as though something was constricting his voice, and then slammed his hand right back up against the board he was pressed up too.

"Doctor, really. It's a bunny!" Scarlet gestured to Sparkles, though I was too confused to laugh at her joke, seeing the doctor must have taken this moment very literally.

"It's more than that. Everybody shut up!" he quickly rambled out.

"…" Sparkles turned herself to face properly again, and then looked back to me. "Him afurru?"

"He's afraid, yeah." I responded, trying to calm her down as I motioned my hands up and down. "Maybe you could… float back a second?" I advised her.

She looked sorry, not understanding, and floated a little away from him.

He breathed, and gripped the table.

"Him odd." She looked confused, and then back to me. "Him fun-fun." She nodded, as I laughed.

"She thinks you're funny."

He coughed, "I'm aware of that.." he looked as though he had just been strangled.

He gripped his head.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Miss Scarlet walked around the table to him, putting a hand to his back and chest, trying to help him out.

"Incredible. My mind is completely on end!" he exclaimed. "I've never seen another creature with the same properties as my own ingenious noggin!" He flung around, and quickly walked back over to Sparkles.

"What's your name…?" he tilted his head, and Sparkles mimicked the expression, tilting her head as well.

"Namu." She tried to mimic the word.

"Namu…" he repeated, before I stepped in.

"She's repeating your last word, she's confused." I attempted to explain, and stepped away from the table, holding my arms out.

"Come on, you're creeping out the crowd."

"Crep in?" She once again tried to pronounce the words she wasn't sure of, and flew to me, as I held her and tickled her, making her laugh.

"She's like a child." I explained, "She came here in a pod and I've been teaching her English. We can communicate and understand one another… well… better when we're fused as one, but without that, she still is left to her own devices."

She flew up to my head, grabbing and pushing and pulling it to try and get me to play with her.

I laughed as my head went back and forth before I got her to let go.

"Fascinating… she's an alien." Dr. Ram concluded. "I can see her possibilities now! There was so many of them, and the shock of her… uh… phantom tail made me step back in overloaded shock!" he cried out, and then grabbed the bowl, pushing it out in front of the table towards me.

"Quickly! I must know if my mind has some correlation with her planetary mineral! I just must know if she and my mind are somehow connected!"

"Wait, you weren't born with that thing?" I teased, but sincerely wanted to know.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He stated, still having his upper torso sprawled out on the table, as if a child on Halloween night was begging across the table for candy.

"Just place her here! It will only be a moment! You know my machine, right? It just feels like tickles! She won't be harmed, and I'll have you enrolled in the school and the government will never know about your little friend."

"Wait, won't know-?" Art suddenly gave a glare to the Doctor, some programming seemed to activate, I supposed, making him turn a little hostile.

"Shut off sequence 8-8-5-12."

Art was suddenly twitching before his eyes turned black and it sounded like he was shutting down, slowly bending down and not moving.

"I've always wanted to do that." He beamed. "Ever since the government got a hold on him, I've had to play it careful with installments, but that one was too well crafted for them to ever figure out! Haha!"

So that explained it. Art was Dr. Ram's creation, but the government used him to keep Dr. Ram in check.

Kinda seemed… sad… in some way.

"You want me… to put Sparkles… there?" I held onto her a little tighter, like a mother not wanting to give up her child for their first doctor's appointment.

Afraid of what might happen…

"I assure you, I don't want to be the bad guy in your sights." Dr. Ram continued, before stretching the bowl further out of his reach, and closer to mine. "I merely long to understand and help my students in their paths towards greatness! By helping you and… Sparkles? Was it? I'll be able to do just that for you. Help you to turn from what seems to be confusion on black and white, to a full understanding of what to do and not to do with your divine gifts! I'm only trying to help the world and its lost children in their pursuit of mastering their powers and to bring them joy!"

"…Sparkles…" I looked down to her, it wasn't her fault I was placed in this mess, but if I wanted to master how to use her abilities, for the common good, I had to start with understanding what that common good was.

More than common sense, I needed to understand the heroes side of things.

Villains were starting to make too much sense to me, although their methods were cruel, their ideals were just twisted truths in my mind.

At least… some of them sounded like such.

Not all of them.

"I need you to get into that bowl." I looked up at it, he was holding it from spinning.

"…Baow?" she looked at the instrument, and felt my hands quiver.

"Boot ju sare."

"I'm not scared." I stated, "I'm just… I just love you, okay?" I held in what felt like more tears for some reason.

Man… I was really a mess!

"…weve..?"

"La."

"La."

"Of."

"Of."

"Love." I tried to pronounce it for her.

"….Ah! Ice cream!" she raised her hands up.

I smiled, before laughing through my starting afresh new tears.

"Yeah. You're like my ice cream. But I don't eat you." I ruffled my head into her belly, before setting her inside the bowl.

The bowl suddenly was let go of, and a clear shield formed like an egg over her, and it seemed to me it was more like a pod than a bowl.

"What is that?"

"At last!"

"Doctor!"

"Woa-woa-woah!" Sparkles started spinning around, getting dizzy as little electrical lightning bolts started tickling her from the inside.

"Hahaha!" she laughed, still dizzy, but at least enjoying the ride.

"…Em." I felt my stomach turn, I'd never felt so much motherly instinct in my life.

Miss Scarlet put an arm around my shoulder, and shook it lovingly, as if indirectly telling me she'd be alright.

Doctor Ram stared over the device with a look I didn't approve of, as if this was all according to plan…but the device slowed down in frequency and the shield did at last come off, and little Sparkles waddled out of the device, stepping left and then tripping right.

"Lel….lee." she flopped down in my outstretched arms, as I was more than ready to catch her.

"Phew." I took her back into my arms, and let her eyes adjust. "I'm here, Sparkles. Lily's here." I comforted her, as she just giggled in her dizziness.

"And with that…" Dr. Ram smiled up at me, holding what looked like some kind of tablet in his hands. "Welcome to Super Academy."

Miss Scarlet clapped her hands.

"We'll reform you from your villainous title yet!" Dr. Ram stated, swiping a hand through the air as he looked to Art. "Haha! 8-8-4-7."

Art turned back on, his eyes looking around as they flickered back to normal.

"Doctor, I seem to have a memory shortage. What has occurred?"

"Lily Corelle has hereby surrendered. She is now willing to be enrolled to master her powers, oh!" he danced over to me, "And this is her bunny, Sparkles."

Art looked to me, that same look as when he first saw me at the door quite a while ago.

"I see." He straightened himself out.

Then he smiled, reassuringly to me. "Welcome to Super Academy."

"Also known as the Super Upper Personal Education Reformation Academy for all special individuals! We train more than Supers here, we train Heroes!" Miss Scarlet happily spat out what appeared to be a slogan.

"Upper?"

"Well, there was a lower division." Dr. Ram looked guilty of something, as Art glared at him. "Eh-heh. In the past." He quickly walked by Art and around the table over to Sparkles.

"Can I just..?" he offered his hands, as if wanting to hold her.

I was still a little unsure of all this… but conceded to let him hold her.

"There's a… strange formation of light around that rabbit's backend." Art moved to the side, trying to get a better look at Sparkles's rainbowic tail.

The doctor was looking at her straight, no longer afraid, probably because he felt he could now study her, and she wouldn't be an unknown phenomenon anymore.

Considering he thought of her as something like his strange mind, maybe that made him feel more comfortable around her?

Though… a moment ago… that very thought sent what appeared to be incomprehensible fear through him as well.

After all, he had her data, what else was there to be afraid of now?

She was sweet enough.

As he held her up to his face, she cutely blinked her eyes before nuzzling his nose, making him close his eyes and pull her back, blinking in confusion.

"Aw, she likes you." I kid.

"I assure you, I look to her as purely a scientific piece to study further the bounds of-"

She got out of his grip and nuzzled the side of his cheek.

He looked as though he was going to flick her away, which made me about ready to smack him, before his face and hand shifted into surrender and his 'flick' turned into a gentle scratch of her cheek.

"Purely, right doctor?" Miss Scarlet teased what appeared to be his soft spot, and I just held back and pretended to laugh it off too.

Art was still utterly confused, "Wait… there seems to be something I've gravely missed… could someone inform- umm.. hello? Wait, please explain the reason of this comradery all of a sudden! Doctor! Miss Angelia Scarlet?! Lily Corelle! S-Sparkles!?"

As we all walked out of the room, moving at times a little through Art's holographic shoulders or arms, he continually tried to get our attention, before finally defaulting to the last thing in the room that could hear him out.

Sparkles looked over Dr. Ram's shoulder, as he was acting so reluctant to hold her, but clearly, she had won him over with her charm, and stated-

"Yes?"

"Oh good, a decent response! Could you inform me of-"

He continued to try to communicate with Sparkles, before suddenly stopping and looking shocked.

"The rabbit can speak!"

"Spee!"

"She's just… um.. under the influence of Lily's specialties. Isn't that right, Miss Corelle?" Dr. Ram winked to me, which made me smile.

Could I really trust others again?

I didn't want too… but I just couldn't keep doing this alone for the rest of my life.

"Y-yeah… side-effect." I shrugged.

I had hoped that lying to Art wasn't the same as lying to the government… but I was glad that at least now, he didn't seem to think of me as a threat, but rather, as maybe one of his beloved students.

I hoped the same for Dr. Ram and Miss Scarlet too…

"Maril? Is she?"

"Recovering, nothing to worry about. Just focus on your training up here from now on, alright? We'll make an apartment for you."

Dr. Ram thought a moment, and then halted a moment. "Didn't a certain student mention she was looking for a roommate?"

Art froze in spot.

"Kiki, was it?"

I froze too.

"Oh no…" We both stated at the same time.


	13. Villainous Resentment

Colors

Villainous Resentment

Ch. 13

By: Cutegirlmayra (For some reason, it gets harder and harder to keep writing this story… that's because a lot is about to happen.. I just hope I can let it happen.)

Walking into my old "hippie cave" again felt like entering back into an old dream. One I hadn't lived in a long… long time.

There seemed to be some guests while I was away…

It didn't looked ransacked, but apparently a nice little inspector was called to check out my 'Dog' who poor Guinevere had thought was either dying or starving to death. She may have been worried about me too…

Since I hadn't been back for awhile… and was disappearing so much too.

When police inspector the noticed I was paying the electric bill and the owner of the land wasn't aware of anyone living in this unhospitable downstairs apartment, he came and left a little letter for me; telling me the electricity and everything else was going down and I was to be arrested for living without permission in this establishment.

I may have 'illegally' went around a few people and signed my name as the old man who used to live here… but my agency took care of that. At least… They, that shady delivery service known as KA7, used too.

I hadn't realized that with me as a prime suspect for how their industry was busted, that those 'privileges' were also going down the drain.

There was another note by the school in the mailbox, stating my papers were found false and that I was being kicked out of the school, all my credits and grades and anything else that may have significance for my life's future was also added into the letter.

Then there was another letter stating that my credits and such were now transferred to the heroes school, and that my future would be secured there.

They also warned me about getting my files from the old school, and to be discreet about it…

Well, that's a little late.

My bad, I suppose.

To top it all off….

My ice cream melted.

As I slurped up it's remains, packing for when Kiki was gonna show up further down the street, I started to feel my face turn red again.

Tears were still an issue for me in my current state, and I found myself lashing out and kicking or destroying some of the apartment's furniture.

It… it scared Sparkles, alright.

I just wasn't used to this sudden change in my life.

One I hadn't planned.

And one I didn't see coming.

Everything I built was gone! All of it! From scratch, to something, to complete destruction!

Sparkles stayed at the door's frame, and would dart away quickly when she saw me lose it, and then float back, peeking out and seeming deeply concerned about me.

Her big eyes would stare me down… and it only made my temper worse.

"Quit it. You'll never understand human emotion as well as you wish you could!" That was probably cruel. I started to understand her more and more as we merged together, synced up with our emotions, pains, and thoughts; we were starting to read the others mind without actually doing so.

She must have known my predicament, but probably didn't understand the conventional structure of how life was lived and organized here on this planet.

Her lower lip started to tremble at my words, knowing I was probably only saying them so she would stop seeing me break down like this.

"…I'm sorry." I took a long, deep sigh and sucked my air back in. There was no reason to vent on Sparkles, she did absolutely nothing wrong.

I had my suitcases, and they were packed.

Tearing up the place was not gonna help any.

"Come here..." I gestured my arms out to her, being much more relaxed now.

I was ready to explain my mind.

She slowly hovered over to me, her tail spinning in a type of twirl behind her, before sitting on my lap as I sat in my room, sitting on the mattress.

I stroked her head down to her big butt and watched as it moved up like a cat sometimes, and giggled through sobs, before finally letting her in on what my heart was feeling.

"I never wanted anything to change… well, that's a lie. I ran away to find change. I guess I just… wanted to stay under the radar, and would complain and be sarcastic about everything because I knew all my opinions and big ideas would never really change the way the world was. I… kinda accepted it? But was a little cranky about it. Then I met you.. and then I was betrayed so many times… I miss Coop, and I'm scared of things now. That was weakness to my old self. I'm 18. There just shouldn't be things left in the world that I'm still scared of. But… there are. I feel weaker. I feel I've lost who I was, and I don't think I can get her back… I've made mistakes, I mean, one minute I'm hailed as the Underdog Hero and now, all of a sudden, I'm labeled as a crook just for not wanting to fit in with the normal procedure of when you're a super! I'm not a Super! That's the thing… I'm still just… regular old Lily Corelle, the self-choosing runaway. The stubborn, independent wanna-be that couldn't even save Maril…" I wiped the tears from my eyes, and held Sparkles like a baby on my lap, as she listened with eyes fixed on me, scanning my face for understanding.

"I know you're only getting bits and pieces of this but-" I sniffed, and decided it was alright to get my remaining bedsheet dirty, since I wasn't taking it anyway.

After rubbing my nose on it, I held her closer, rocking her back and forth… but I think that was mostly for my comfort.

"I really am glad I met you. I'm glad we had adventures together… and… and I want you to know… I think of you… as my real, only true friend." I was bawling now, looking at my closet as her head rested on my shoulder.

"You've always just… let me do what I want. You've protected me. Even made me laugh. But most importantly, you gave me something to love and protect. I thought I had lost all of that. I didn't realize what I was missing by being on my own for so long. Realizing what's it like to feel like someone's on your side… I never had that before. Thank you, Sparkles. I promise. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to do what I feel is right still… but I'll never endanger you to do it. I promise. Oh, Sparkles, I promise!"

She squeaked, blissfully, hugging me around my neck and rubbing her cheek against the crook of my neck, making me bend it slightly her way at how her fuzzy head tickled it.

She made me laugh again, and with that, I pulled her away and kissed her forehead.

"Be good and don't worry too much about me, okay?" I sniffed and rubbed my eyes again, letting her go as she immediately felt the release of my hands and started to hover in the air again.

Another year… another birthday that just went skating by… what's next?

All these emotions… all coming out from years of holding them all back.

It was a little much, but letting it out could only help, right?

"Heh, I'll be fine. I guess I've had this stored away for too long now." I admitted, as Sparkles continued to fly around and dart back to me, hovering directly in front of my face, before spinning around in the air again, laughing her unusual way.

I laughed a moment… before more memories swarmed my mind, and I lowered my head.

That boy who killed himself by melting his own being down to goop, and Maril getting hurt from Shade, those boys I had hurt back in gym class, and that torture with the girl that could make me relive all my physical and emotional pains…

All that rage and emotion was finally being set free, and I guess by storing it up so much, I brought this upon myself- causing me to release all that pent-up frustration and anguish.

That girl I saved, who was still scared of me. Scaring Coop like that… Jet betraying me… The heroes school of pure black and white…

What even was black and white anymore?

I think I'm redefining it as I go.

Still…

With all this chaos and heartache-

What was next?

-Coop's POV-

"You sure this is where it happened?" I pointed down to the destruction of the school's floor, having the kids walk by and gawk at the scene only made things more uncomfortable.

What if this was my little girl's school? I couldn't let the heroes ignore this 'Shade' guy any longer.

"It's got to be a Super. Judging by the way this is formed, it's not human. No bomb could make these holes and tear through the place so accurately, sir."

"So it's controlled chaos." I chewed the little twig in my mouth one last time,… two last time, before taking it out.

"Very good. I'll keep snooping around." I briskly walked forward, imagining the scene in my head, before seeing a little girl in a neck brace, glaring me straight down.

I immediately noticed her condition, and my heart went out to her.

However…

It wasn't her hurt look that I noticed first.

Her eyes caught my attention, she seemed to hold some kinda fixed distain for whatever occurred here.

"Are you a policeman?" she asked, her black eye and bruised build only made me want to answer her the more.

"In a way." I responded, and walked over to her. "What do you know about all this..?" I bent down, tilting my head to have one eye peering at her, and seeing that she really wanted to say something, who was I not to inquire?

"It was Supers!" she stated, and I nodded, leaning up and thinking that was that.

She was just stating the obvious, heh. Cute,… but not helpful.

I must have my gut on the wrong frequency, usually it always gets me a lead.

"Yep. Well, they're always out there, aren't they?" I tried to smile sweetly, but my attention was elsewhere now. "Get along, kid. I'm busy here." I took a hand out of my pocket and gave her a stale hand as a goodbye, taking my twig and putting it back in my mouth to chew on, and starting off again.

"Colors was there."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

I moved my head just slightly back in her direction, but didn't bother to look her in the eye again.

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb! I saw her! Lily is Colors! And Lady Saint Grace was there too! As our vice-principal! My mama doesn't believe me, but it's true! I don't have head-trauma!"

…Did she just give me a name?

I spun right round faster than any hip-hop pop song and raced over to her.

In my excitement, I took both my hands and held her still by her arms, looking her dead center now, and bending on my bad knee too this time to really hear her clearly.

"Did you just say, Lily?"

"L-let me go!" she moved out of my grasp and I realized stranger danger, and straightened myself out.

"Ehem, sorry. You got me all wound up there." I adjusted my belt on my trousers and continued, "But say, kid… Are you telling me you know who Colors is?"

I felt awkward now, I didn't mean to frighten the little thing.

"Yes. And Lady Saint Grace too! Didn't you hear me!?" she folded her arms, looking upset that I had treated her like her own age.

A cute little sweetheart,… with about the same sass as a grown woman.

Precious darling…

"Alright. Alright. I give." I got both my hands out this time and held them up, taking the twig out in the action too, and turning my head away to not spark any more anger from this little woman and continued, "What's their names?"

After a while of learning her side of the story, and ticked the heck off as to why the school never said anything to me about a student getting injured for us to question, I walked with my notepad- flipping through every little doodled sketch of information I had pulled out of that little saving grace of a rascal!

"Todd!" I called out, jogging over to him and dodging the holes on the ground with moved titles from impact.

"Detective?" He turned around as if tried of me already, before his eyes lit up with mine, seeing I had something. "What is it? What'd you find?"

He took a hand and placed it on my back, inviting me into the circle of corporals as I about wheezed out my answer in my joy, "I got her! I got two of them! Shade wasn't the only one involved! So was Colors! B-but in a good way! She saved a kid! Lady Saint Grace was spotted on the scene too!"

Later, I was pulled out to a report of a rebellion that started out a massive revolt on the townhouse, where a bunch of Supers were trying to take out the major.

The authorities and other heroes stepped in and quieted down the place, and I was assigned to the only Super in the crowd who was actually talking.

Entering the room, I looked at him once, but noticed his eyes were covered in some kinda rocker's bandana and almost felt the urge to scoff.

But I had learned a thing or two about Colors, and I knew for certain that judging someone based on their attire or name wasn't the right notion at all.

I sat down and smiled, just in case he had a weird ability to see me, and moved my head around to try and see passed his little cover-up.

I whistled a little jingle like, 'whoo-hoo?' and began, holding my hands together on the table. "You blind or somethin', kid? Not judgin' or nothin', but… do you really need the blindfold? Or are you just trying to set a fashion statement?"

"…I can read minds…"

The voice in my head was so distinct that my eyes widened, and I moved back just a bit in my seat.

"Oh heck, I've got a physic on my hands. Then why in good Koleroy would you let yourself get captured?" I turned my body and set my elbow out towards him, the other hand stretched out as my face, though he couldn't see it unless maybe through this mind's eye, was one of bafflement.

This whole conversation was being recorded! Now it was useless to interrogate him if he only spoke through telepathy!

"Some mind-reader you are!"

"That's the thing, Mr. Coop. I let myself get captured."

"Ohh… now that's interesting. Keep... uh… talking through your mind-thingy."

I sat up straight like my momma taught me and folded my hands again, and then leaned forward, lifting one finger up to my mouth in a sign of intrigue.

He stayed silent.

"Oh, I see. Well then." I shifted myself again, flipping the tail-end of my coat back, and sat a little more aways this time. "And why… Good Mr..?" I wagged my head around a moment, trying for the name.

"Pierce."

"Pierce, right. Better than some of the names I've heard. Cleverer, actually. Cause you pierce through noggins, is that it? Look at you! Scrawny thing. I would count you as an intellectual super than a brawny one." I wagged my finger at him, cause sure as day he looked like a nerd.

"I'm not a nerd."

I swore I could picture in my mind his eyebrows bending south, and it made me scared and excited all at the same time.

"Well, I'll be darned. You really do read minds." I smiled even the more, and continued. "Then let's cut to the chase." I turned and eyeballed him, squinting an eye and holding my mouth open a wee-bit as I tried showing him the bank, Canid, and Colors…

"…." He took a deep breath, and shifted in his seat, lowering his head, and seeming to sweat a moment.

"That's what I thought…" I licked my lips and scooted my behind a little closer to the edge of the chair now. "You know something, don't ya?"

"Why did you let yourself get captured, Pierce?" I felt like a snake, moving my head like this, and quickly gave the kid some room and sat back, trying to hold in my excitement. "You want out?"

"That's exactly what I want." He responded, and my eyes bounced in blinks at that, but remained still as he spoke further in my head. "Protection for information. I know Colors. I know what Shade's planning to do. I want no part of it!"

He slammed his hand to the table, making me jump back a little in my seat.

The intensity of the voice in my head was so easily identifiable, he could communicate anything he felt through thought, so it appeared. Even images.

I saw poor Colors getting tortured, the look of threat and her images that made him stagger away, and then… I saw Shade torturing others and dragging them off the streets to his cause.

I then saw the Super school.

"What's all this mean?" I asked, seeing only images, but this was serious…

I could feel it.

He was here to try and save the world.

"I want to speak to Colors." He stated firmly in my mind, and nodded his head. "I'll talk. I'll say whatever you need me to say. I'll get out of your head. I'll help you get inside Shade's. But I won't do anything without Colors. Lily and her other soul are the only things that can stop Shade now! She's in danger! More so than when Jet tried to avenge her!"

"Avenge her? Slow down, kid. You've discombobulated my mind as it is!"

Calming him down didn't seem to be an option now, as he got more mad over the course of fewer seconds than my mother's Chihuahua. Maybe I should see therapy for that? But in any case, like this one, the images in my mind of Jet,… wait, Rocket man's sidekick? I never was into heroes… He was shooting up the air at this pillar of darkness.

The scene was so clear, like my own eyes were in the sky, watching this from each point of view, it was incredible, but all a little too overwhelming.

It was like virtual reality, except, I could feel the intensity of the moment all around me.

"S-stop it! Stop!" I got up, holding my head and waving my hand down toward him.

Turning around, I saw the images vanish from my mind, and I was finally the only voice left in there…

"…S-sorry."

The voice was groggy, as if it hadn't been used much since now.

"…I ha-a-ve to talk t-t-to Colors."

I wasn't sure if that was a natural stutter, or if he was just not used to talking so much.

I turned my head and realized that Shade must be in a frenzied panic if he even had the slightly doubt of Pierce's loyalty, and in that instant, also knew how valuable this young man's knowledge and ability was.

"Bless you." I turned around, still in my state of shock. "You're risking your life… aren't ya?"

"…C-Colors." He restated, probably to prove he would let himself be recorded if we went along with his demands.

"Right, funny you should be looking for her…

…I just happened to be searching for her too."

-Lily's POV-

With both suitcases in hand, I looked to see a nice looking car coming my way and sighed as I waited for it to pass by.

I was trying to come to terms with my resent for rich people, and how biased it all was, and tried to not judge the driver… who I tried to not even look at.

However, when the car pulled up on the street corner, my eyes widened and I noticed exactly who it belonged too.

The dark shaded window scrolled down, as a pair of dark white sunglasses greeted me with a hardy open-smile. "Hiya!" she laughed with her mouth open, before pulling her sunglasses up. "I have a feeling your address was as vague as possible because, by chance, you don't want anyone to know where you actually live, right?"

"And the money's yours." I rolled my eyes, moving around the back of her car to get into the passengers side.

She followed me with her head before I got in, and put the suitcases on my lap.

"Only two?" she looked dumbfounded, moving her head up and down, from me and from my lap. "For like… serious realsies?"

"What can I say? I'm a minimalist." And that's when I realized that Kiki had absolutely no tact, whatsoever.

"…Is that cult?"

I took a deep breath in.

Hello rest of my life.

She drove down to the big city casino part of town, and in my surprise, only spoke when I asked why we were driving this way.

She said she wanted to go shopping, but we were going the opposite way…

I looked around, seeing billboards everywhere but practically nothing on the highway but for one gas station stop.

I looked back at her, before deciding it was best to not question her.

At least she was quiet.

I was annoyed with life, and I didn't want to vent on my new roommate.

If she was anything like Sparkles, maybe I could teach her to sit and not eat my ice cream.

Then I'll be fine.

As we stopped at a light, she rolled down the window and put her hand out on her chin, leaning before she looked up at a billboard with a woman's arm and hand on it, wearing expensive jewelry that people only dream of.

"Oh~" she chimed, as I looked up from the light a moment to see what she was staring at, and being uninterested in fashion trends and large corporate, shiny objects that are stolen or broken sooner than you paid for, I went back to the light.

I at least knew that would turn interesting, changing colors soon enough.

She suddenly whipped her hand out like a snake at it, and suddenly I jostled her now decorative arm and hand with strings of gold and pearls rings, bracelets and other fancy, elegant riches as I gawked when the light turned green.

Moving passed the billboard, I gaped and let my mouth drop as the billboard was now of a naked arm and hand.

I made a slight noise of shock, leaning my head back and shaking it, unable to believe what I just saw.

"What?" She looked over to me, as if having no idea what I was so startled about. "I said I wanted to go shopping." She countered.

"…Did you just steal a 2D object and make it 3D on your hand!?" I gestured to her arm.

"What? No! No… it's… my mommy says it was fake to begin with, so it's fake when you materialize it into existence. Daddy then says that if it's publicly displayed, then I can publicly display it and keep it locked in my drawer." She nodded her reasoning and would gesture with her hands, but that only made it worse as my eyes followed all the trinkets on her hand.

"Does it last… forever?"

"Oh yeah! But I do have to be careful. One time, I totally saw this aid for a workout kit. I like, really wanted to work out my figure so that when pre-prom came up, I could look good for when me and Art dance together for the first time! I wanna be a knock out on his eye circuits! Teehee~ So I popped it out, right? But then, it appeared in the back of my daddy's pickup truck and the cameras saw it… well, long story short, the billboard the company owned had to be replaced and the supreme court said my powers needed to only be used for government protection and/or battling bad guys. But like, I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong? You know?"

"…You just stole advertisement that now has to be replace. I'm pretty sure that's still stealing."

"Actually, it was considered vandalized and they got to replace the aid with a new one that was exactly like it. So no harm was actually done." She shrugged, and made a slight pout with her lips as if it didn't bother her none. "My dad says just stick to highways and I should be good." He was a glorified crook that literally could get away with firsthand theft.

Oh gosh… I was really getting good at these puns, weren't I?

Maybe I was meant to be a sidekick?

"One time, I got this really nice dress, but it was all okay! The company actually got way more sales because they were also in the lingerie business too!"

I face-palmed so hard I felt I'd be left unconscious.

Adjusting the jewelry once more on her hand, I literally realized the grey of this girl.

Not only is she in love with a being that wasn't real, she was also wearing fake jewelry.

Her whole life was limitless, as long as it was an image, she could obtain it.

"So… you make it? Basically pulling it out into existence?"

"Yes!" she chimed, happy to receive some form of acceptance from me, at least, that's what she thought. "It's mine cause I made it real."

"Actually…" I couldn't stop my wit. "That billboard was a picture of a real woman's hand, and a real product. That gold on your hand is probably legit, and the artist who styled that photo has copyright on that image much like how the company has the rights to the jewelry displayed. So, by your logic, you're still committing copyright infringements."

I laughed at her expression slowly dropping at my words.

"You're a spoilsport, Corelle!"

I couldn't help laughing.

"You've completely warped my conscience! "

I laughed so much harder.

It was good to laugh, that's when I knew that me and Kiki would be just fine.

A little while later, going down the road, I saw a building with a screen showing Coop and what looked to be Pierce, being escorted away somewhere.

"Hey, Lily! I wanted to ask you about pre-prom. Prom for those not technically graduating yet? So,… I'm on the committee for setting it up and stuff. I mean," she coughed what appeared to be a scoff. "I have to make it perfect for when I attempt to bring Art into the real world, so like- Want to help with the setup?"

"That's Coop." I breathed out, unable to rip my eyes from the image of his worried and serious face, as he helped the boy move passed the cameras, gesturing a hand out to the crowd, probably to show they weren't gonna speak with any of them, and got back in the car.

I would have flown out of the car so fast, if it weren't for the fact the news story was a week ago, and I had no idea where they were now, or what Pierce was doing with Coop..

"Uhh… who?" Kiki looked back at me, and I shook my head, frazzled by it.

"Nothing. It's nothing." I continued to close my eyes and blink them open quickly, trying to shake off the impulse to dash out and find them.

"Oh… okay." Kiki looked ahead again… before 'oh!'ing and gesturing her head tilt towards me again. "I heard you have a little pet rabbit staying with us! I love bunnies! I literally have seen so many shows and Korean dramas and like- animes with rabbits! Do you have her with you?" she looked around, and then gasped at the light when she abruptly stopped for it.

"Well, where she is!? You didn't forget her did you?! Hold on." She turned around in her seat, and was about to reverse before I threw my hands out at the wheel.

"No, no, no! She's here! She's here! Don't do anything-!" Stupid!

"Well, where's her carrier than?" she questioned, still turned in her seat.

"She's with me, calm down." She saw the light turn green and started to gently drive again.

"Okay, okay… I was just wondering…" she suddenly started to tear up.

Oh gosh, no.

"W-why are you crying?"

"You're just… you're always yelling at me. I just want to be your friend…" she started to break down and I looked around like this was some kinda reality t.v show prank.

"Um.. there, there… We are friends." I patted her head, as she nodded through her makeup getting a little messy.

"Really?"

"Well… yeah. I guess so…" It was weird to say that… but I guess… she wasn't my enemy?

"I mean… I heard you were a villain and everything but… when I met you like, … you didn't seem like a bad person. But now you're…. you're being mean." Cupped her bejeweled hand over her mouth, gesturing to me and then placing it back over her hand with her spurted crying.

"I… I'm sorry?" this was the strangest car ride I've ever experienced. "I didn't mean to be."

She hiccupped, "It's okay." She waved her hand around, showing that it was in the past, I guess. "I just… once I start crying… I can't stop."

Oh bother…

"But I accept your apology… and will not ask regarding the cute rabbit again." She sniffled up the last of her tears, and then continued.

"We're protecting you from Shade, right? Most Villains gone good are protected by the government, but I guess you're safer in the sky than on ground? I guess we are a government owned school… or maybe it owns half of the school..? I'm not sure. I'll ask Art sometime. But for the record, you are gonna help stop Shade right? Everyone knows he's bad news, especially Jet. He was campaigned the hardest to have him be the top priority for the heroes, but they took Shade as nothing more than a kicking sidekick. Isn't that terrible? He lost his dad and all.. but don't they know that in all the good movies, it's revenge that's the hardest motive to stop?"

"…What'd you say…?" That burst of information caught me off guard.

"Oh! Sorry!" she must have realized I didn't know all that, and quickly took a magazine she had and started fanning me. "I forgot that you're still a little star-struck from that horrible attack at your old school…"

"Did they tell you that!?" I grabbed the magazine from her abruptly, before her eyes started to tear up again, and she began to whine.

"You're being mean again.."

"Ugh!" I opened the magazine and put it over my face.

The first day of school, and I wasn't even completely unpacked yet.

I tried to lay low, sticking to myself though Kiki kept trying to pull me around everywhere.

Art was kind enough to help when he noticed I was completely lost, but I made some sort of strange agreement with Kiki to tell her all our conversations. So to keep it simple, I didn't speak much to him other than a 'thank you' and continued on.

After a few classes I actually found really interesting, we were in a large gym, and I had to wear the most ridiculous fabric to the indoor… what in the…

It was like a school-version of an arena.

"Heeeey! Colors!"

I looked up.

Jet was waving big wipes in the air towards me, and then blew a gust of wind finally to get me to look at just the right spot.

He got my attention alright, as I raised my arm, making him think I was gonna wave back, so he smiled.

But I ended up shielding my face from his winds and keeping my head down.

I wasn't ready to confront him just yet.

"Lily..?" I heard his voice to the side of me in the crowd of on-lookers, but I didn't respond, just moving to a random seat below.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Suddenly there was a shift in my gravity, and I started to feel the entire seat below me flip up like it was a rope that had been jerked up and then the momentum carried through.

The whole seats started to bend and shift and my being was floating like an astronaut in space, before people around me started complaining and I was moved to so slowly that I could see all the students.

Well, this was awkward.

I landed next to Sam, who shifted me down gently to sit next to her. "Silly! You don't wear contacts. Why are you in the front?"

"…By your logic, you should be in the front?"

"Oh, I forgot my contacts today. Probably why you didn't recognize me." She tilted what appeared to be imaginary glasses that she thought was a funny move and then looked out on the crowd. "Sorry!" she called, as the seats looked back to normal.

"…What just happened…?" I looked straight.

Terris smiled, peering at her phone. "Sam can distort reality, she also likes to use zero-gravity or just too much gravity to not have to lift a finger. You should see her in her room, everything, even her undies flying around in space. Em-emm." She shook her head, showing her distaste for it.

"At least it's not messy…" Sam countered, but the image in my head made it look like chaos.

She lowered her head, as if Terris had scolded her with the comment.

Weird…

"What class is this, again?" I turned to Terris.

"Fight class. Just listen, don't bet cocky, and don't raise your hand." She looked at me as if that would be the most idiotic thing to do.

"WEEEELLLLCCOMMMEEEE STUDENTS!" A man, with a microphone for a hand, and a creepy huge smile on his face, suddenly appeared on the screen.

"What in the-!?" I kicked my legs, that image scaring me as it came on so fast.

It laughed like a killer clown.

"It's the mascot of the fight class. They call him, killjoy. He's just a simulation, not as advanced as-"

"My darling Art-kun~"

I turned to look behind me.

"Hi there! How was your first few classes?" Kiki smiled down at me, holding a sketch pad and sitting next to two other girls with dyed colored hair.

So there was more of them.

"Hehe~ Are you gonna fight?"

"Villains aren't allowed to fight." Terris stated, still on her phone, as if not really caring.

The term made me realize these girls all still thought I was-

"She's not a villain. She's protected."

Kiki actually… defended me?

I turned to look up at her again, as she smiled sweetly to me, and turned her sketch pad over, showing a pretty epic anime-style artwork of me as Colors, and with some helicopters in the distance.

I looked pretty anger and crazed in the picture though, but maybe that was the 'hero' look she was going for.

"Don't let them get to you." She whispered to me, and then looked up as Killjoy continued to speak.

"WHOSE READY FOR A FIGHT BATTLE!?"

The crowd half-hardly cheered, as if this was a normal thing.

"IT'S A SPECIAL DAY OF THE WEEK, STUDENTS! IT'S DUO-FIGHT DAY!"

Suddenly, the students jumped to their feet, cheering loudly and getting hyped up from his words.

"What's the difference?" I looked to Terris, whose attention suddenly turned to the board.

"Oh dang." She stated, "Duo-fight is a free-style two against two battle royale. It's not routine attacks or strategies that get graded, it's just… Win!"

"Now! From selected slots, our teachers will choose who they wish to see combat together or against! Here's the tallied votes!" the image turned and suddenly there were casino slots that had symbols on it.

"Ah, I forgot. You haven't submitted a pendant yet." Terris shrugged. "Oh well."

"Pendant?"

"It's code for 'Hero's insignia.' It's what identifies you as a hero! Your symbol to the world." Sam explained.

"Like Superman's 'S' logo." Terris stated, before turning off her phone and looking back up at the screen. "I'm actually pretty stoked for this." She smiled.

I looked back at the screen, not sure how to feel about that…

An icon..?

"First to be selected! Vortex!"

The people cheered, as I looked around at their faces, and saw that the symbol it landed on was a 'V' with spirals that looked like a spinning wire inside the two lines.

"Next!"

The slots kept spinning-

"Elemental Knight!"

"Crap." Terris stood up.

I stared at her, wondering what the black helmet with a center 'E' on it meant.

"Here we go! Their against the pair- let's see- the excitements killing me! Who will give me back my spark of life? It's-!"

"Jet!"

The crowd went wild as Aldin blasted from the crowd in a whirl of wind, and waved to the crowd in the air, then landed on the gym's floor.

"…What's with the gym outfits?" I finally stated, as Terris moved by me, and Sam lifted her legs, putting them beside me, to give her an easier route to move through.

…She could have just lifted or pulled them back a bit…

"It's a special fabric to protect you from certain death." She stated so lightly and with no intention of being so blunt.

My eyes held open, and I slowly turned back to the screen. "Right."

Super School was wicked insane!

"And now! Jet's partner to be! Let's find out!"

I kinda was excited to see both Terris and Jet battle… I wondered what would become of all this.

-Dr. Ram's POV-

"What do you think, Sparkles?" I looked down at Sparkles, having 'borrowed' her from Lily's room, and was holding her as I would an owl perched on my arm, before she lowered her extended paws to my arm, and hovering towards my chest, moved it back so it would seem more like a hold or embrace, then a simple 'animal resting on my arm' action.

I thought it… adorable.

But I wouldn't let my colleges see me turning so utterly soft!

"Art and I have designed a little… surprise.. for your master. I hope she'll be surprised! But she'll need you."

I looked out at the screen, invisible to the students, as it was a protective force field that also would eventually be hung over the students that watched safely behind it.

As my colleagues made vain wages and bets with absolutely no money to show for it, I rolled my eyes and danced my two big feet over to the force field. "Hehehe… She'll need you." I looked to Art, up towards the beams of the school, already having hacked the votes and system, he nodded as was his programming to let me basically get away with anything I wanted.

"Splendid. It all looks ready! Now to get you to her!"

I spun a little on one foot to see if my fellow teachers were at all interested in my theatrics, and noticed none were brilliant enough to see what I was doing.

"Oh well." I finished my spin and pulled out my void-dispensing drill. It started to nullify the atoms in the force-field, leaving a liquidly-like sucking of an increasing hole within the polarized density that made virtually this whole system of protection work, with added scientific magnetism but mostly the atoms being so compacted that-

Before I could finish my train of thought, the little rabbit had jumped from my arms, and turned into a ball of light, seeing Miss Corelle stand up in shock at me hacking Art to hack Killjoy and ultimately give me a battle worth analyzing!

Goodness! This was going to be so much fun!

I clapped my hands together, before noticing the little hole growing bigger, and quickly reversed my drill to seal up and take the entrapped atoms it had sucked away back into their positions. Such a thing could only be possible with the right radioactive speed, and luckily, my gloves and goggles blocked most of the horrible side-effects of fast-traveling radioactive waves of atom-bound forming and bonding so I was alright to say the least!

I took my goggles off and nodded at my successes.

Good job, you sly wizard!

Why, oh, you are too kind.

I, of course, nodded to my brilliant self, as it is a sign of mature thinking and geniuses to talk to themselves, why not praise too?

Wait… who am I explaining all my actions and thoughts to, just now?

I looked out into the wide space… and could have sworn I saw backwards print of some kind on a word program of such…

-Lily's POV-

Seeing the symbol appear, my design…

A zagging wave pattern of the primary colors that all other colors originate from… in an odd 'vvv'-like pattern that could look like the life signals of a hospital's heart reader. I was stunned. Who could have took my attired design and done that?

Suddenly… as if me standing up in completely awe wasn't enough-

"ABBBBUUU!"

The crowd looked around as Sparkles dashed right at me, almost knocking me back into Kiki.

She gasped, smiling, "Aww! The bunny!" she cried out, as I looked concerned.

"What are you doing here!?" I whispered to her, bewildered for a moment in my confusion.

"COLORS! OUR NEW ENTRY, TAKE TO THE BATTLE FLOOR!"

I shook my head at the creepy guy, and then looked to Sam. "What if I don't-?"

"Dude, you can't just get an 'F'! Here, I'll move."

She started to float in the air, her own blonde ends sticking up.

"Go on." She smiled, as if being polite.

I just nodded, feeling my sanity leave as I moved past her, the crowd cheering for me.

This was… new.

I held Sparkles tight to me as she greeted me, rubbing against me and patting my two cheeks to get me to love on her back.

I walked to the battle floor, and had almost completely forgotten who I was fighting with.

"Aldin?!" I cried out, gasping, as he smiled to me, throwing up a thumbs up.

"Nice look."

I blushed, even now in this ridiculous, sleek, and shiny black suit, he was thinking I looked good.

"Oh, shut up. I don't even know why I'm here!" I flipped my hair out of my scared-to-death face and looked away from him.

"Oh, come on! Lighten up! Why are you so mad at me?"

Sparkles hung in my arms, and then raised a paw, "Hii." She stated, and lowered her paw, smiling.

"…Hi." He nodded to her, but seemed to be a little surprised.

"You ratted out Sparkles. You broke any trust you had with me. So I'm returning the favor, and never trusting you again."

"That's not returning any favors! I should return what you gave me! Remember?"

I didn't get it, so I ignored it.

"Oh, wait, I think I already did that…" he looked away, "I think I remember kissing you on the first day I brought you to school…"

Suddenly I registered what he meant, and my eyes widened.

"You-!"

"BEGIN THE FREE-FOR-ALL, WINNER IS THE ONE REMAINING STANDING! 'THREE-TWO-ONE, ENGAAAGE!" Was all that announcer guy did was scream out things?!

Suddenly, Terris stomped both feet forward and down on the ground, before holding her hands out to her sides, as the surrounding metal from the gym floor was pulled up and spun around her, linking to her body like armor, and suddenly she was encased with a unique wooden armor that formed into what appeared to be a samurai warrior.

"Oh? Going for a new look today, eh?" Jet smiled, and looked to me. "Power-up!" he tapped my shoulder, and then ran by me.

Running along some sort of invisible forcefield on the students, looking like he was racing up a bubble that rippled with each step he made on it, till tightening up, he ran along it and then shot down like a kamikaze at her, slamming her to the other side as she shielded with both arms.

"WHAT!?" I freaked out, friend vs. friend!?

"I'm after you, girly!"

I turned to see… what was his name again?

He started to swish his arms about, and I felt my feet start falling and looked down.

"AH!" I was sinking into something that looked almost like the night sky with tiny stars in it. It suddenly started to swirl and I could feel the strange matter pulling me around and around.

"Spar-ar-ar-arkles!"

She was spinning too, but formed into a ball, and chased after me, not able to keep up with the rotation.

"SP-AR-AR-KLES! OT-HE-HE-HER WA-A-AY!"

It was a miracle she heard me, because she suddenly stopped, the ball of light, and about-faced, waiting…

When I came back around, almost down to my torso now, she jumped in.

My eyes burned, and I didn't know why.

"AH!" I gripped my hand over them. This was new. This never hurt me before…

Sparkles must have felt it too, because she let out a cry, and I could feel a shift in my power.

"Sparkles?" I couldn't hear her very well, but I could sense she was still there, and I almost read her mind and figured out what she wanted to do for the situation.

It was weird I couldn't hear her voice, but I knew her mind, and so I went with it.

My hair was glowing fair more than a simple nightlight this time, I almost felt like I could feel it ripple like a huge sunray behind me, but I wasn't sure what that meant.

I reeled back my hand, as the colors from the screen, portraying the battle, drained off in little swerving light rays, and the screen went into a clear glass look, as the lights spiraled around my fist.

"…rrrrrRRRAHHH!" I smashed my hand into the weird substance, as it parted and my light shot right through it, seeing that the substance never stopped going down, and kinda creeped me out a moment.

"Woah!" I rotated my arm up, feeling it grow stiff, and held it like a gun as it looped behind me, repositioning myself as I noticed freeing me from below was pointless.

I shot forward at the dude, who saw the comet-like stream coming at him, little light balls circling and spiraling around the main force in the center, before he threw up another vortex in the air in front of him.

Suddenly, my lighted comet warped through the vortex.

He smiled, relaxing it looked like, as my light faded inside the vortex.

Suddenly, a light started to glow on his face, as his eyes widened.

The vortex below me still had a grip of my other leg, the other one mostly freed, as I watched, but didn't understand what was happening.

My eyes narrowed.

"…It has a end!" I cried out, realizing that light traveled fast, anyway! If there was an end, that light comet would find it!

I stole the color from my new found logo on my chest, though I had made it, it suddenly became my 'Super theme' and I used it as a ribbon to slip under his foot, and pull him down, making him slip backwards, as the comet narrowly missed him.

The light comet kept going, staying its relatively ball-like size, before hitting an unexpected Ter- I mean, Elemental Knight's armor.

She turned around and cried out, as her wooden gear sparked off her body, making her fall back, and pieces of her wooden armor burning through the air.

There was a moment of silent, before a burning wooden piece flew by the audience, and clunked the ground.

When it settled, the crowd was suddenly on their feet, students shouting out and clapping wildly.

"H-hey!" Vortex looked down at my hold on him, seeing he couldn't grasp the light from the ground, but like a rope, still held onto the bottom of his foot.

"Opps! Sorry!" I let it go, the light streaming back to my bodysuit's chest and seeping through all the way around to every part where it naturally was stitched too.

Jet suddenly streamed through the air and hoisted me out of the vortex, going fast enough that it didn't really put up much of a fight.

The vortex, I concluded, must have been like a bottomless sandpit, but apparently, wasn't so bottomless, just extremely deep.

"All hail the blazing light queen!" Jet threw me up, making me run in air before falling back into his arms.

"Haha! I've missed you! What's with holding back though, eh? Vortex could have taken a hit."

"B-but.." I was clinging onto him for dear life… until I remembered.

"Oh." I moved away and summoned a rainbow underneath me from the surrounding colors, and for a moment, we just stood in the air, holding each other.

"Haha… I missed you,… Lily." He winked, nodding his head.

"….How could you…" I moved away, "What, you think this is a game!? That you can't do no wrong!?"

"W-woah! Hold on! What's got you so feisty all the sudden!? What'd I do..?" He flinched back, holding his arms up to block any attack I may throw, but he should know that I don't-!

Oh… that's right.

That one time,… where I burnt his face…

I looked away.

"Look. We're not enemies, but we're certainly not friends anymore." I darted down, jumping off the rainbow as I started to move towards the gym's exit.

"H-hey! Colors! Look out!"

I heard Jet's booming sound from behind me and turned, angrily, until I saw Terris coming with so much force…

It was all slow motion after that.

Her wooden armored plating hit my face and I was out.

The next thing I remembered was waking up in the nurses office with a big glowing light over my head, and then Sparkles forming.

"Lee! Lelee! Oh! Wak, wak? Gud wak, wak?" she patted my face, telling me to wake up, and if I had a good night's sleep.

Our typical morning routine.

"Oh no, child!" The nurse quickly grabbed Sparkles with both arms swinging up and grabbing her from above, before holding her away from me.

"Are you quite alright, dear one?"

"Ughhh…." I didn't want to touch my face. It hurt.. so… so bad.

"I'm afraid you took a terrible hit! Even with your light shield, it seems you didn't gain any extra-human abilities to endure hits from your powers! That's quite unusual, but you really should be placed as a 'long-ranged' hero. You know? It's a good thing to think about." She set Sparkles down on a silver, square tray with a tall open center and beams, before ending with wheels.

Sparkles, whipping her tail around, was able to use her mysterious power of flight to somehow propel the steel tray forward, getting up next to me again and rubbing against my good cheek.

"Am I still alright?"

"Oh, you'll be fine. But I wouldn't chew too hard, now." She handed me some jello, and immediately, I thought my teeth were missing.

Licking each part of my mouth, I sighed in relief at everything seeming alright.

"Imagine if Elemental Knight took upon herself a metal armor! Ohh! No, no! I must write your teachers and prohibit you from top-notch fighting. I'm assigning you to 'working out' more than 'battling it through' hmph!" She puffed up a side of her cheek, the cute little old woman had a timely charm about her, as she then walked to the door that was being knocked on.

"Coming, coming… Who could it be?" She opened the door, and Aldin walked in, leaning into the doorframe to make sure no one closed it on him, I figured, and holding some…

Flowers?

"I hate to intrude,.."

"O-ho, ho! Come in! Darling! How lovely!" she giggled like an old silly maid, and placed a hand over her mouth at the bouquet of flowers.

"Hmph, they'll just die anyway." I turned my head, but it was on the bad cheek! And I winced to the other side, but sadly… that made Aldin able to see my face more…

"Oh, don't be so cruel." She pouted, and looked to Aldin, touching his hair. "You're a nice man. Very nice man! Ho, ho!" she blushed again and scurried to the corner, peeking over her shoulder as she seemed to be pretending to 'leave us alone' but secretly still listening to our conversation.

"Whose she?" I asked.

"Dr. Ram's mistress." Jet smirked, putting his hands behind his back before the old woman dropped whatever she was fiddling with to look like she was working, and ran over and smacked his head, giving him a warning look, and 'ooh'ing at his prank.

"Haha!" he held his head a moment, and then looked back to me. "It's a rumor, but there's no clear evidence. She's just as kooky as him."

He then leaned in, "We all ship it." He teased.

"Ship?" I wasn't familiar with the term.

"Come on! Pair the two up! Get with the times!" he spread his arms out, and then sat down on the side of my bed.

"Hmph. Well. Excuse me. I don't usually hang out with nerds on the weekends." I tried to look away with my eyes, not daring to move my face again.

He was silent for a second, before tilting his head towards me.

"..Hey.. they helped me out of a rough spot… Sometimes,… nerds can be the best of friends." He took on a tender tone there that I wasn't used too.

Looking up at him again, I shifted my head and noticed a sincerity in them.

"…You mean… when you lost your brother?"

His expression changed a bit, but he smiled, I guess he thought I knew because of Sam.

"Yeah… Yeah, that was a rough time for me." He turned away, taking a breath and looking outside of the window for a moment, holding his hands out from his spread apart legs, he looked down.

Within moments of me actually feeling like I saw a truer side to him, he suddenly shifted back to his former ways and smiled to me.

"You know, even with a half swollen face, I still think your pretty hot."

"Oh, please!" I rolled my eyes, "Can you- like, no, seriously, look at me- Can you for once talk to a girl without flirting with her?! Like, seriously man! Take a chill-pill and calm down! You've got plenty of years to live!"

He laughed, as for a moment he looked away to mock me, but I pulled his attention back with a few nods of my head and he looked back, only to laugh the more at my words.

"Don't you know? Number 1 rule in saving a damsel in distress. You flirt with her. It makes her comfortable and lose some fear, seeing you carefree and taking it easy like that. She gains confidence in you, because you show confidence." He puffed his chest out, straightening his back a little to look more 'manly' I guess.

Or heroic, but that wasn't helping his case.

"Really?" I was judging him so hardcore right now.

I came to the strange epiphany that this boy wasn't trying to get anything out of anyone… he was simply trying to 'ace the grade' of what he thought was a hero requirement so he could pass the final!

"You… will never stop amazing me." I admitted.

He winked, "Hope to never stop!" he jumped off the bed, making it rattle for a moment as I feared my life, my eyes going wide, as I hoped that his action wouldn't cause me any pain.

"When will she be okay to go to morals class?"

"Morals class?"

"Oh, she's got some time, sweetie. Ho, ho… she's got a nasty beaten, there. I think she's mostly human, honestly." She waddled over to me in a strange little dance of her arms swinging around in front of her, still looking back to Aldin with an open mouth as if she thought him wooing me was something to be excited about.

I looked at where he placed the flowers, right with Sparkles, who started to chew on them and try and dodge the plastic. It would block her as she leaned down, and she would have a mini fight with it and her mouth, much like a puppies.

She finally got a hold of one of the buds though and started gnawing on it, looking away and back at me, as if she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Poor thing… she must be hungry." I so mistakenly blurted out loud!"

"Oh, I'll feed her! Come on, Sparkz!" he opened his arms to her.

"Wait, don't-!" I threw my arm out at him, and swat him away as Sparkles took that as he wasn't someone to be around, and flew up, dropping the flowers and worriedly looked to me, and then Aldin.

"Abu?" she asked, as if not certain why my actions were so violent.

She thought him a friend, an ally, but I knew him better than that.

I knew all humanity better than that!

Like a mother to her child, I wasn't letting anyone ever get near my rabbit!

Except maybe the nurse… she surprised me, and so I didn't react at first… but definitely not Jet!

"You told Dr. Ram about her! You told him about ME. I'm not letting you get anywhere near-!"

"Here you are, deary."

I almost felt my heart vanish when I saw the Nurse move around my bed and pluck Sparkles out of the air, holding her like she was holding a squirrel out in front of her.

She slowly made her way, looking at the ground a few times to make sure her feet were moving one in front of the other, to Aldin and handed him my most precious being in the whole wide world.

Aldin cradled her a moment, as Sparkles looked up at him, not sure what to do or how to react.

He turned his head, angling it and making clicks with his tongue like you would a baby, and then pet the back of her ear.

She immediately succumbed to his hand and started whacking her foot down like a dog or rabbit would when being pet on just the right spot.

"Traitor." I glared at her, as her ears leaned up, unfamiliar with the word directed at her, and opened her eyes wide.

"Spa kels no tray-tray! Spa kels abu!"

"No! Spa kels not abu, spa kels tray-tray!" I stated back, and looked away from the both of them.

She gasped.

Probably the first time I ever heard her emote like a human being.

"SPA KELS L-LO-Loooovvv-a… l-l…lee lee." She dashed out of Aldin's arms to my side, shaking me in her fake-tear face, and then tried to pronounce 'love' correctly.

"…Love." I looked back at her, nonchalantly. "LA-OVE."

"….L…Lov…"

"That's right. End it correctly."

"L….lee lee…" she licked her lips, looking determined as she looked down.

Aww. This was cute.

"L…Lovv…."

"Love." Aldin put his hands in his pockets, and his eyes seemed to be relishing the cute moment between me and her.

"I love Lily."

I blinked my eyes.

"…Ah!" Sparkles turned around, hopping in place, "I love leelee!" she shouted out, and hugged my hurt face.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh dear."

"Quick! Get some cold water! Ice if you can!"

"Ow…ow…owowowow… Sparkles.. baby, no."

"Leelee?"

"Ohhh-hooo-hoo, OOOOOOWWWWW."

After a few hours of recovery, Aldin walked me with Sparkles in his hand to a bench outside the school, there, he started going over the material I missed in this, so-called-

"Morals class. It helps us recognize the good decisions from the bad. Here, this worksheet is to examine your understanding so far." He handed me a paper, and I literally glared up at him.

"..Heh… ehem." He must have noticed my fierce rage and quickly shifted Sparkles to his other knee, bending down to get something out of his bag while bouncing her up and down on, making her happily let out a bumbling noise of joy from it.

When he rose back up and stopped, she patted his knee with both hands. "Mor! Mor!" she chanted, and then looked sweetly up to him, making her tone more of a desperate plea, "Mor?"

He looked back to her and smiled, then to me. "You know, she's kinda demanding." He joked, and showed he was only kidding, as he kept bouncing her on his knee, not needing to hold her, since she was able to keep her balance very well.

As she spread her arms out and bobbled up and down, he put down a large volume book in front of me.

"What's that?"

"Our curriculum for Morals Class… you okay?" He looked up, concerned at me.

"…You act like I don't hate you… or what society sees as right from wrong." I stated bluntly.

He shifted his hair, as if avoiding my gaze this time.

"Yeah, well… it's important." He comically lifted the book, then let it drop a little from the table out in front of me, and pulled out his own homework.

"….You really don't get it, do you?" I was more than ticked off now. "That, or you're blatantly ignoring it."

"…Your feelings are important to me." He stated, more concise this time, looking up at me.

Though his smile said 'friend', his eyes showed annoyance.

"But clearly, mine aren't." he looked away and back at his work again, and took out a pencil, starting to write again.

...I didn't want to address that moment in the doctor's office, and looked down at his paper, holding my head high as I leaned to look at it. "Who still writes with a number two pencil?"

He stopped, and looked at the top of his page, seeming to be saying things in his mind that I couldn't read, and finally looking up at me with the full-blown reaction of frustration I wanted from him.

I folded my arms, as he leaned up slowly.

"Heh. You are cruel temptress, Lily." He turned his head, before slamming his hands on the table and sitting up, leaning in at me, and raising his voice. "But you're a bonafide hypocrite!"

My face dropped.

At first, I was completely ready to take on this tyrannical jerk.

But then,… I wasn't expecting so much pain and sorrow to flood my heart.

"You SAY you want to change the world for the better. You SAY you want to be a hero. But in the end? Lily? All you ever do is complain! I don't want to do this! I don't want to do that! For freakin' sakes, Lily! You won't even look at the worksheet that questions you on your own belief system you defend so hard against!" thrusted his hand down a few times at the paper in front of me.

"If you really care so much about how the world looks like through YOUR eyes,… then why are you so afraid to put it down, huh!? And if your so against me… then why do I still know that you meant every word, every gesture, that day you pulled my blush from me, huh?" He put his hands, gripping at the table, to the edges of it's sides.

Looking away, he moved his tongue up and slid it across his teeth, before moving up and holding a hand to his jaw, and looking back to me. "And even now… knowing you're like this… too much of a coward to even try and learn what the world knows before you try and form it from scratch… If it weren't for the fact that half your face was severely bruised… I would still want to kiss you."

He then stood up, and took the book. "Blah. Who am I kidding. I still should. Just to make you question if my actions are white or grey." He then grabbed his backpack abruptly, slamming his foot down to have a gust of wind hoist it up to him, where he grabbed it as it came up.

"Or is my affections a dark area to you?"

He walked away.

I took deep breaths, looking down.

Sparkles had already gotten off his knee and cowered under the table, before floating up and looking off towards Aldin.

She spun around to look at me.

"Wey he go?"

"I don't know."

"…Leelee?"

I sucked in a shaky breath.

"….Leelee," Sparkles flew closer to me. "U kai?"

"I'M NOT CRYING!"

I slammed my hands down and she immediately took off.

"Sparkles… no, Sparkles, wait!"

She flew off so fast, crashing into Aldin and holding on for dear life.

"…No… I'm sorry, don't… don't leave… Sparkles.."

I stood up.

A hand twitching up for her.

She slowly moved her head, before looking back to me.

Why did I feel that was the last straw?

-School Apartments-

As Kiki hummed during her odd sketching of Art on her bed, kicking her feet and laying on her stomach as I stared, completely hunched over, my leg bouncing like no tomorrow, reading these DUMB questions that will judge my moral systems.

I had a hand up on my forehead, it pounded!

Not just the pain of my face still, but the horrible questions and the 'no real answer' to them was the real source of my fury!

12\. When faced with having to kill to save a nation, or sacrifice millions of lives for the rest of the world, which would be of greater importance?

YOU DUMB PIECE OF-! All human life is significant! You can't place a number greater than the other!

"…Corelle? You okay?" Kiki got out of her bed, wearing her odd poodle pajamas.

Ugh.

Don't get me started on her side of the room…

And slowly moved to look over to me.

"Is your head hurting again? I can get you some more ice or-"

"I'm fine."

She looked sad, but I was glad she just left me alone.

I wrote that it would be better to save all lives than a few. Even if it means stepping outside of myself to do it. And if the option still stood that some would have to die, I'd rather take mine instead.

I looked over my answer, and erased that last part.

I'd rather sacrifice my life to save all others.

I nodded.

That's good.

It's still suicide, but for a greater good.

It's just. It's clean and concise. It's logical.

…Was it though?

With facing the option of certain doom… wouldn't you be the world's last hope?

And say you did have to sacrifice the nation… wouldn't others still accuse you a murderer? Though you saved their lives instead?

And if you saved the world and many others died… it would still be the same fate.

Either/or, there really is no perfect victory.

Grey.

There had to be a grey somewhere.

Anywhere!

"Ugh." I dropped my pencil, holding my head.

"…I… I can make some soup?"

"NOT. NOW. KIKI." I rose my head, only to shout at the poor girl, and lowered it back into my hands.

"….K." she turned and looked like she was going to bed.

-Morals Class-

I stormed out.

"Lily!"

"He called me ridiculous! That each answer was flawed! That my thinking was too idealistic!"

"…w-well, he is just an instructor. Please to get the degree, you know?"

"UGH!"

"If you don't-! Then… then… not only are you a labeled permanently as a villain, but you'll also never get to be a hero!"

"They're only trying to breed the heroes they WANT you to be!"

"But… it's just the only way."

Kiki, waving her hand to try and get me to stay, running in her heels, finally stopped and dropped her bag, tried of trying to keep up with me.

She slouched down, looking defeated, but…

In her eyes… I saw a real friendship she wanted there…

As I turned to examine her expression, I was about to say something, when I saw Aldin burst the door open, and look around, looking frantic.

He ran his hand through his hair while the other was stopped in motion up in the air, before he turned swiftly, probably planning to get me, before stopping the second he caught eye of me…

"…No, Kiki."

I stared right at him.

Him at me.

"There is an another way."

-Dr. Ram's POV-

"She doesn't take into consideration that this story is bigger than herself! She's fixated on the notion that her thoughts are somehow higher than ours! That somehow, someway, you can reform the world's morals into something, simply unattainable! Ha!" The pomptous instructor went on, as I almost drooled over these analyzations that Corelle had mustered up from the incredulous noggin of hers…

I swayed my head back and forth, reading over each line. "Ohhh…ohh-ho-ho… she's so gullible." I loved every line, just saying something to keep him rambling while I examined her mind's working moral system further, and seeing how she really tried to think outside her world's known box…

And right into the shoe!

"She's mad! She literally wrote, 'I wouldn't fight a wounded villain, I'd talk to him'! Bah! She thinks she can reform the devil!"

"And why not let her try..?" I closed my eyes, my mind was whirling in its scenarios, like screens on a projector all spinning at lightspeed inside my conscious, and when I opened my eyes…

A beautiful array of lights skimmed across them, and I darted them over to the nearest possible future for Miss… Lily Corelle.

"She'll discover soon enough… how well her moral system works…" I held up her paper, bending it and sliding my fingers, pinched, along the line….

"Or doesn't."

I tossed the paper into the trash.

Either way, the girl was helping me lure Shade into a beautiful trap. Once I finally correct my mistake, I'll make sure Shade's future changes for the better.

Whether her powers can stop him or not… the chance is… 45.5 percent… his chance? 45.5 percent. An exact match. A similarity that can't be overlooked. It's an even 95 percent of them both failing. They're both having moral struggles… but one has accepted at all cost that his must be enacted… so then…

Lily?

I turned the window, my hand up and wiggling in my excitement.

Oh, what wonders and possibilities you two can create!

…Will you side with what YOU believe is white..?

Or…

I turned my head the other way, stepping more towards the window.

Will you side with… what the universe…. thinks is right?

Looking out, I notice the faint rainbow created at the corner of the wet window from the recent rain.

"She's got to go!" He finally broke my concentration, as I looked up and turned to address him.

My fingers wiggled once again, my mind showing me the many ways this conversation could go.

Oh~ What fun! Which to choose?

To argue and annoy him further sounds argumentally a mischievous pastime, but calling him to his own closed-mindedness would be such a hassle.

Perhaps bring up him and his wife's differences?

Now, where would that come from? Even if I made a point, he'd just get even more boisterous.

Well. Seems I'm siding with the-

Grey.

"Oh, why not give her another chance, eh? Who knows? Mysterious masked hero's villainously lie to themselves all the time! I suggest a new approach to the girl… afterall, every student deserves… a chance."

After my theatrics of sorts, I look down and put my hands together, remembering a young man I pleaded for as well…

But this one will be deferent.

Her future she shall choose.

I know she'll choose the one I'm seeking for!

My eyes shot back up.

"Time. It's such a frail, but… speedy fellow. If you know how to wait for it."

-Lily's POV-

"That's Coop!" I looked up from the cafeteria, seeing the silent screen showing the news again, and this time, I knew it was him!

Aldin stared at the other boy though, seeming to recognize him too, but staying silent about it.

"That's-!"

"The mind reader." He chewed his food, and swallowed quickly.

I turned in amazement, "So, that dumb look on your face of actually recognizing him wasn't just my imagination."

"No." he took another bite, and then looked up at me, pushing it to the side of his mouth. "I'm not actually stupid."

This exchange of rival insults and smart banter was lasting the whole day, but for some reason, he never bothered to just give up and go home.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Kiki suddenly stood up, spreading her arms out wide as she fixed her hair and wandered over in a hurry to where Art was speaking to some students.

"Um.. uh, hi! A-Art? Do you have a minute?" She put a finger up nervously, but then used it to twirl her hair and lean on one side, trying to be charmingly cute, but coming off odd to me.

I rolled my eyes, getting up.

Aldin saw me and quickly followed.

For what? I could care less.

Art turned around, seeing her actions and looking around for a way out, showing a clear indication of not knowing how to turn her down appropriately.

"M-…Miss Kiki." He forced out, putting his hands down from looking for a way out and standing straight and proper again.

He bowed to her, "Can I be of assistance?"

"Hehehe~" she jumped from both feet quickly in her estatic release of talking to him again. "It's the pre-prom! We need some um… Technology stuff. Hooked to the music?" she smiled sweetly, rocking on her heels.

He closed his eyes, looking almost regretful that he actually knew what to do and how to help, and leaned up with an apologetic look on his face. "Of course, Kiki. I'd be happy to oblige the student body." He quickly tried to walk away, but before he could-…

"Wait!"

He squinted his eyes shut again.

"You… you wouldn't do it for me?"

….You know. I actually felt something pull me to help this girl.

She looked away after a moment of him turning around and processing what to say. "I.. I'm afraid I can't answer such a personal-"

I whistled, as I knew Miss Scarlet had shown me.

Suddenly, his new feature was triggered, and his blush and over animated reaction made him immediately put his hand over his mouth.

His face, usually stone-white, suddenly burst into a digital array of red blush marks, and nervously stepped back, breaking his 'servant' professionalism as he looked back up, not knowing the source of where the triggered noise had come from.

Kiki's face was priceless.

She was so happy, she started…. What was the word? Squeeing? As she put it?

Basically, a happy dance in place.

"Oh, Art! Please come! I'll be waiting for you, you cute little digital studmuffin!" she ran away, jumping and screaming, "YES! HE LOVES ME~" in a weird operatic way, as Art looked confused, and turned to me.

"Who triggered my-!?" he suddenly realized his attitude, and stood up straight, pulling his shirt down, and tucking his collar once more. "Ehem." He coughed into his hand. "May I help you?" he nodded towards me, not moving his body from the direction he was just facing, as I smirked mischievously.

"Studmuffin, eh? Do you even have a definition for the word?" I teased him.

He gave me a deadpan stare. "It was you, wasn't it?" he narrowed his eyes.

I wasn't sure how much of his memory was erased from our last encounter, but he clearly didn't know that I knew about his software update.

"Me?" I looked around, then pointed to myself. "I was just making some chick's day." I beamed.

"I thought you didn't like her?"

He always chimes in at the worst possible times.

"I don't have to explain my reasoning to you." I side-commented. "Don't you have some damsel to woo? Or something to get an 'A'?"

"…I feel like I'm wooing a viper." He folded his arms, and looked away.

I stuck my tongue at him. "Lwook." I stated, with it still out. "Nwo swplit." No split down the middle of my tongue, you dog!

"Come, come wasp! You are too angry." He smiled, and I didn't understand why.

"What's that?"

"A quote."

"From where? I've never heard of it." I put my hands to my hips.

Without even so much as a flinch, Aldin gave me a look and Art suddenly stepped in.

"Shakespeare. Taming of the Shrew. Act 2, Scene 10, Page-"

"AH! So I'm a shrew now? Now happened to 'still hot'?"

"Oh? So my words have struck some black heartstring of yours, have they? Look, you're more a hot-head than you a shrew, but I'll be taming you nonetheless." He then stepped forward, mimicking me in putting his hands on his hips, and looming slightly above me.

"…Tame me?" I was so offended and insulted all at the same time.

"I brought you here, because I cared." He began, dropping his hands down and stepping forward. "I cared enough to know that this was where you were meant to be." I started to moved backwards when I noticed his advance wouldn't stop, even when I was blocking his immediate path forward, not on purpose obviously, but he was headed straight at me!

"I fought you, I heard you out, and I defended you! Tell me if that's not heroic!" he threw his hands out, "And to top it all of! You're theory of good and bad is skewed! I wouldn't call you a shrew, I'd call you lost! Confused! And I'm only trying to help you know, what you don't know, so you can make your own conclusions!"

Art immediately stepped in, flickering in-between us and turning to Aldin, "You're heartrate, Aldin. It's dangerously indicating your anger. I'd ask you to be alleviate your tension."

Aldin shook his head, before moving his tongue around in his mouth and gripping his chin again, moving his hand around to his neck, and wiping some sweat off as he turned around.

"This was the best move to help you, Underdog Hero. Because when push comes to shove… whose gonna be there to save the heroes?" he then let out a huge burst of wind and blasted off out of the room.

"Aldin!" Art wasn't effected by the wind blast, but he did flicker every now and then, and then sighed, "You know… He seems to truly seek the best for your well-being… when you were injured, I immediately scanned you to see your condition, and he was right next to me. He even helped you carry you to the nurse before I charged him to return to class." Art looked over to me, and I just couldn't let any of his words seep in.

"…You seem to also have an accelerated heartrate. Perhaps you should-"

"I'm going home." I turned, heading out the door.

"B-bu-but that would be skipping!" he tried to stop me, flickering into my path, moving backwards a bit slower, but I walked through him. "L-Lily!"

"Aren't I just 'Colors' here? Isn't that what even got me here?! I'm still suppose to not be considered a full-fledge Super! I'm just me! I'm Lily! That's my name! I'm going home and I'm sleeping the rest of this day's nightmare away!"

"..T-that would be implying your asleep.." Art commented, but I was already out of the door and heading for the entrance of the school.

-Dr. Ram's PV-

"Doctor,… it appears she's going to leave." Art's voice came on my speakers hotwired into the room.

I looked up, working on a little something in my lab, before I smiled in glee and continued to construct my machine within a liquid containment field, having my special gloves on today!

"It'll be alright, Art. We just need her a little longer… once everything goes according to the 66,000 spectrum of success rates of the future… she'll be back." I continued to pour more of my substance into the large oval container.

Having gotten up on a latter, I was mixing the chemical that allowed for me to work with such a high powered, and extremely dangerous, fusion void that should make my plan complete.

The chemical was for my safety, as well as doing what was necessary to the adjustments of the cubed machine I was now working on, power flowing through it in dangerous amounts if it weren't for me handling it with my super-powered gloves.

Ha! Super powered! I do crack myself up sometimes.

"Doctor. What does she mean by her words? Her records show that she's a Super, though rogue. She just claimed she was not."

So much memory loss. I often did feel bad for overriding him so much, but the government mustn't know what things I have in store for Colors and Shade…

"The Pre-prom's beginning preparations this weekend… is that right?" I looked up, but to nothing in particular.

I knew Art could see me, but wouldn't question my pastime fancies of inventing.

"S-sir?"

"Haha, you stuttered. Don't you have a certain someone waiting for you?" I shook my body a bit, just to make a little fun of him, although…

I knew his possible future depended on his timely assistance in that school project too.

When I didn't hear a response, "…." I cracked a smile, and leaned back on my latter, looking up.

"Can, you feel, the fright! Tonight~" I began to sing, as Art immediately had the speaker's screech as if they were malfunctioning.

"I'm sorry, sir. Disturbance. What was that?"

"Right, right… 'disturbance' I suggest looking your best, Art. You never know, dear Kiki may want you in a presentable suit at the dance. Would want to look your best for those 'repairs' you'll be asked to do if any second, something goes wrong." I continued back to my project, as my mind reaffirmed my calculations and predictions for his future had not changed.

"…I don't understand why so many people are getting involved in this…" Art could be so cutely funny sometimes!

"I do love being able to witness a robot's emotions every now and then! But regarding your notorious affair with a student, I'd say if she invites you to the dance, to join her! Why not?" I took my tools out and wiped my hands back at just the wrist, having the liquid spray out behind me and to the side.

"It's a dance! Art! There's going to be a lot of people getting involved." I laughed, and continued my research into my square…

"… Inceirious… please don't mock me. You know her affections are merely an illusion."

Aw, look at him, he was sad he wasn't real.

"But she makes you feel loved, doesn't she? And she won't be here forever,… why not enjoy it while it last?" I suggested, turning back to look up at the ceiling.

"Art… have some fun. I didn't give you those simulations and programmed emotions for nothing!"

He remained silent, before finally, I suppose, concluding on the matter for himself, as he spoke his final words.

"I shall allow an excused absence for mental-strain and physical ailment from Lily Corelle's remaining classes."

"You do that." I nodded, and went right back to fiddling with the cosmos of what can and can't happen~


	14. Villainy at Its Core

Colors!

Ch. 14

Villainy at Its Core

By: Cutegirlmayra (Not only are finals a hassle, but fanfiction and tumblr need my attention as well! Goodness! It's like having part-time jobs that you don't get paid for. Wait a second…

It's like having kids.)

Where's Sparkles?

Ever since that time with Aldin… she's been gone.

I'm deeply worried.

"I'm sure we'll find your bunny, Lily! But for now? I could really use your help-Ah-ah!"

I looked up from below to see Kiki wobble on her latter, trying to hang up her decorations.

I had no idea how I let her wrangle me into these things…

She supposed since my power was 'light' and I controlled 'colors' that that must have made me perfect for Pre-Prom preparations.

What was worse…

"Woah! Thanks for steadying me. Hehe!" she grinned down below, before fixing the banner and coming down.

"…Em…" I was too focused in my thoughts to really pay her any mind, and she seemed to notice that.

"Hey! Cheer up! Chin up! And dress up! Eee! That reminds me!" She 'squee'd again, and ran to-

My eyes grew wide.

"Wait… wasn't that..?"

"In your things? Yes, well. When I asked if you had a dress for pre-prom you insisted you weren't going… but then~" she twirled Guinevere's dress around as she pulled it out, holding it in front of herself and smiling excitedly, even having her shoulders bounce a little as she did so.

"Come on! Come, come, come!" she ushered me forward with her hand, but her feet tapped right over to me instead and pulled me in.

I wasn't even angry about her going through my stuff than I was about her handling the old gown like that.

"Give it here!" I tried to reach for it, but she pulled it away.

"Woah! Hold your horses! Hehe. I'm gonna put it on you. Like a true princess." She held her head high for a second, as if trying to praise me, but I just left my scowl on and furrowed my brow.

I was getting annoyed… but was too tried to really keep it up and say anything snarky back.

She grinned as she bit her lower lip and slipped the dress up over me.

I ducked my head as the fabric, which I hadn't really pulled out in a long time, swished over me like a blanket and draped around.

It was heeeavyy….

"Hmm… you really do like modest attire, huh?" she smiled, "I kinda do too!" she beamed, as if trying to relate to me.

I just threw my arms through the sleeves and looked down, then back up at her.

Was she kidding me right now?

This dress was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, probably the most expensive thing I've ever worn, but it looked straight out of a classic wedding back in the olden times of yore.

"It's beautiful though…" when my reaction didn't help her much, she turned her attention back to the dress, and pulled the sides out to look the fabric over.

A huge smile beamed her face, and she gasped, "Look!"

Looking down, my eyes fell into a deep trance…

"Those diamonds look real! Wow! They're sparkling like a thousand rainbows!" she excitedly dropped the fabric, breaking my trance from the large lights shining down on them to make the array of lights and colors, before rushing to my back.

I blinked my eyes, it was shocking really.

Did she not notice this dress was high-end stuff?

She pulled on the strings behind me, and I felt my stomach drop lower and the rest of my organs lung upward.

I let out an exhale that could have been my last breath, as she clearly forgot I had clothes on underneath this thing!

"There!" she tied up the strings and then pushed me out, as I stumbled to the floor, and looked myself over.

"…What?" she gave me a funny look. "Don't just stand there like a duck! Dance! Spin! Twirl! Do something! Haha! Have fun!"

Oridnarily, I would have never even attempted to wear the dress.

For once I was actually okay with Kiki's forwardness; and for a second, trusting that Sparkles was alright, I picked up a side of the dress.

She watched intently, as if magic was about to happen.

I looked at where my hand was touching for a moment,… letting the fabric I was gripping loose slightly to rub my thumb against…

So silky… it was like materialized metallic liquid. The way it shined and how fluidly it moved to cover my fingers every bend...

I smiled, letting out a sigh to release some tension stored up inside of me, like the world's bitterness and-

I twirled.

I leaned my head back.

Kiki was a blur.

The whole stage was suddenly black and I was in my own world.

I had closed my eyes and lights flickered around me.

That's when I heard Kiki let out a elongated and breathy sigh, as I opened my eyes and watched as my body spun with such pristine elegance and natural wonder.

I had never felt so pretty in my entire life.

I loved it.

I loved the feeling of freely spinning with the fabric whipping out and around me, but still heavy enough to keep me hoisted to the ground so I didn't fly off like a helicopter.

It was slow. It was steady. It was grand.

"Ohhh! You must SIMPLY wear that to the ball!" Kiki clapped her fingers widly, cutting me off from my enchantment with the dress.

I halted abruptly, the slow-motion my head had created spun out with the dress as it looped around me and swayed peacefully back to its proper positioning.

Me?

At a ball?

I lowered the hand holding the fabric, mostly out of exhaustion from holding itself up for so long. The part of the fabric I was holding was light, so it wasn't that.

But as my head kept spinning, I stared forward, my eyes readjusting back to how reality really was.

I dropped everything and looked down, my head a straight arrow down my body.

"…Lily?" Kiki suddenly noticed my reaction, and seemed to not understand, peeking around to try and see my face at a distance.

"What's wrong?"

What's wrong?

"Don't you want to dance in your dress?"

My dress…

"Lily?"

Suddenly, as my thoughts warped around me in the confusion of trying to decipher my heart, Art virtualized and walked over, wearing a…

"Ahh!" Kiki about had a heart attack.

Art anime sweat-dropped, having it appear on the side of his face, before it vanished like a movie segment for some cartoon and walked forward.

He adjusted his collar.

"I was asked to promptly inform Lily Corelle that the good Doctor, Inceirious Ram, would like to engage in a discussion of sorts with her." He pulled down on his shirt as if trying to tidy himself up.

He then blushed.

It was so cute.

Was he nervous? Being dressed like this in front of Kiki?

Goodness knows he was probably monitoring her heartrate elation right now…

"Art! You look…!" she held her peace as she looked him over, holding her hands spread out above her chest as if someone was using the force to choke her words and keep them in.

He turned his head down, but kept his eyes.. a piercing green.. towards her.

"Are you to speak an adjective or a simile? Miss Kiki…"

Her eyelids drooped, "Divine~" You have sworn by the look on her face that Cupid existed to torment the impossible.

"Ah. Adjective it is." Art raised an eyebrow and looked up, seeming to just be half-tolerating this, before she spoke again, much to his puzzlement.

"Like a picture book.."

"And a simile. Extraordinary." He almost rolled his eyes.

"...-whisking me off into Neverland~"

"…A metaphor? Hmm." He seemed actually quite fascinated in that, his eyes darting down as he seemed to process it and his eyebrows hunching forward in simulated human thought or bafflement. "That's quite interesting actually. Will your mind synthesis more description or is that the limit we shall agree too?"

"Ah." She gripped my arm, moving over to me, her mouth wide open. "He thinks my mind is interesting!"

"Heh. Yippie." I smiled to her, at least she was going to have fun while I was gone.

Maybe Art too.

"Either way, Miss Corelle, you asked to escort yourself to Dr. Ram." He turned his attention back to me.

I was still on the topic of thinking about him and Kiki…

"Though I must say…" He looked around the room, holding his hands behind his back now, "I was expecting more students…"

"Oh, they'll be here in like… 5 to 10 minutes. But until then...~" she swayed away from me and up to him, making his head glitch back to her so fast, that I swore his rapid moment showed his fear in the closeness of her range.

He looked her up and down.

"Could you maybe help with the programming setbacks?" she looked apologetic, but I knew she was only trying to coax him into staying longer.

He let out what sounded like a sigh and closed his eyes, before smiling politely up to her again. "I would be delighted."

She happily 'squee'd yet again, as was custom for her to do, and showed him where to follow her.

"You two play nice." I waved behind me, as I undid my tie, and gently took the dress off.

I tried for a second to fix my hair, before… pausing and wondering why I was even bothered with it.

I shook my head and quickly folded the dress as properly as I could back into it's square, and placed it where Kiki had taken it out.

As I left, I could hear them talking.

Art saying something along the lines of, "Where am I to be access first?" to which I turned around to see Kiki look to him and grin. "Me?"

She was too forward, I swear.

He jolted and his image blipped a moment before flickering back, and he gave her a stern look.

"Please behave professionally. Miss Kiki."

"Yes, Tech support…"

She made me laugh!

-Dr. Ram's POV-

I could see the possibility, she was coming and it wouldn't be long now!

I hurried to set the scene up accordingly, and rushed behind my desk, excitedly moving my gloved hands over the other, and then winking to you before the door swung open.

"Lily Corelle!" I greeted her, throwing my arms up wide, and then slowly lowering them to the table, where I leaned over and gave her a wicked smile. "You're quite popular these days~"

"What do you want, Ram?"

Her cold shoulder wasn't really phasing me. The probability of her hearing me out was too high to worry.

So I was relatively calm as I took my place to the side of the long, black slated table and leaned on the side of it.

I gestured for her to take a seat.

Any second now, she was going to process what I had just done.

I watched as her eyes wearily moved from the stool, to my suspicious gesture, and then examined the sincerity in them.

She was going to accept the small trust she had for me and sit down.

She did just that.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here." In glee, I wobbled leg, loosening my knee, and tried to seem less intimidating as some students often called me.

Though, she wasn't one to get intimidated, she was one to see things inaccurately.

She watched my action in her silence, and almost rudely glared up to me.

"What? You think I'm playing some game with you?" I grinned and turned, skipping in my step as I felt like Wonka about to show Charlie his future.

"We've gotten an exponential call from a fiery Detective who claims to be a friend of yours."

I studied the objective and how things would play out a moment, looking up as I felt the sensation of my wind's vortex-wings flapping over each other, analyzing in milliseconds her responses, before seeing that I had fully attained a 100%, fail-proof delivery route that ensured my operations wouldn't be deterred now.

"Coop!?"

I heard a sharp 'scooting' noise and turned around.

Much to my delight, Corelle had lifted herself off her seat, and propelled her hands down to catch her momentum as she leaned up to now fully engage in the conversation with me.

Excellent.

Works like a charm!

Though… I highly doubt my brain could be deduced into magic.

Scientifically speaking, it's too supernatural to be a computer though.

Hmm.

Interesting thing to research when this is over.

"I believe that's what he called himself. So you do know him..?" I turned my head, my eyelids narrowing the gap between them before widening out as I noticed her sudden silence.

So… she had a friend.

"Well, I should hope this means you're not as black as they say you are!" I teased, throwing my hand back, "After all. Most Villains do their dirty work alone!"

I quickly turned around and stomped off to my projector, fiddling with it, as I knew that was the only way to put her mind into a state that would allow me to stay neutral.

I didn't want her to see me as friend or foe. Ally or fiend. I wanted to stay complicated.

If I was complicated, she would think of me. But she wouldn't fully trust me. And I need her to think about my words and what meaning they may entail, and then act on her own accord by them.

It was the only way to get what I wanted.

Shade was the same. 68% of him was calculating his own will and desire, the rest was him being impulsive and rash.

Just like Lily,… he got away with it only out of luck and chance encounters…

"Why did you bring me here?"

Ah! That's my cue!

As I spun back around, looking quite the statue only with the grace of a trained ballerina, I revealed the projection to show behind me of a rather impressive building…

"..Jet's home?"

"Yes! A perfectly secure location for you and your 'friend' to meet and discuss with the boy in question." I put my fingers together, bowing slightly.

It was a kind gesture, wasn't it?

I gave her a place for a fun playdate!

She should be thanking me.

"That's Richard's home."

She seemed unsettled… what was happening?

Haha! Got'cha! I knew exactly what she was going to do.

She looked away and sucked her lips in, as if hiding the cold truth that I knew her ties to everyone around her were flimsy, and she couldn't trust a world she could barely identify.

"Is there something wrong with Richard? Or should I say….

Rocketman?"

-Lily's POV-

He had me at that.

I knew he could read my futures, but apparently not my heart.

That was a good thing, and a bit of a relief.

I was so nervous! Augh! I needed to toughen up around this guy or he'd walk all over me!

He stared with such intensity that I feared he was plotting more than scanning me for fault, I needed to be careful what I spilled to him…

"Me and Richard have very different… opinions."

"What a delightful way to express contention."

"He just…"

"Frightens you?"

"Is closed-minded."

I corrected him, getting a bit defensive.

He rose up from his hunched over state and nodded his head, looking away.

"Right… this is all about your… theories, isn't it?"

I glared straight through him, hoping to pierce his beautiful butterfly mind and open the trap door to let it fly freely away from his conniving hands.

"You still take the world to be your enemy, don't you?" he seemed to humor that notion, and chuckled with a hum before turning back to the screen, and swiping his hand over the light of the top of it to change the slide.

Again,… tech I hadn't seen before.

The image was now of… Pierce?

"This boy has apparently agreed to reveal all he knows regarding Shade and his workings. With the compensation of protection, of course." Dr. Ram wished his hand out, before leaning his head back, as if trying to talk to me by cocking it all the way back…

Crazy old man.

"But the fascination of the predicament is… he'll only talk… to you." He pointed back behind himself, without turning around, and it just looked ridiculous to me.

"Why are you so obsessed with Shade anyway?" That did upset me. Because for some reason, whenever I saw Dr. Ram, it was always about my power from Sparkles, or him.

Dr. Ram quickly turned around and slammed his hands to the table, a crazed look in his face, as he stared me down with such a frenzy that reflex had me push back and away from the table, off the stool fully…

"..That boy has been my greatest tragedy… And I will attempt to protect you from him so long as you stay at this school… but the very second you decide to freelance yourself and jump straight into oblivion and join him… I'll hunt you down like the fox you are before you tell him anything about Art or my beloved school's workings…"

He leaned up.

"I've spent years hiding this school from him and his goons… his father before him! I've tried to refine him just as I spoke to you before! His power was analyzed. His threat determined. But the second his father came out of jail and twisted his mind with such blackish love that even a poor boy would succumb to such foolish dexterities under false pretense that a villainous father-!" he slammed his fist down.. and for a second… I saw true tears and red, puffy eyes forming on the Doctor's face.

He twitched a moment, before moving his jaw back from in front and flexing his hand out. Apparently the impact pained him in its strength, and he held his wrist as he motioned it around.

He looked away from me, and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

He turned away, before I truly heard his voice again, this time… I was much more sympathetic to it.

I held my peace as he continued.

"…Could ever love… anything… but evil. His son was lured into the idea that by performing with his father, and by his father returning for him, that it was done out of love and was a family. In reality… No villain can know true love."

"You're wrong!"

He swung his head around, and for the first time…

I saw true fury in his eyes.

"A villain… or a hero… they're all still people! We have the same emotions and feelings! Though our views may be skewed, we've known love and loss. Joy and sorrow. It may take on many forms, but that's because it can't be defined to one situation, one outcome, or one pretense. Even in a lie… love can exist."

I stood firm, but my voice was gentle.

He seemed to… maybe… Have really cared about Shade… before all this happened.

It made me almost feel like he could believe my grey. And even see it. Since he, himself, has gone through something that neither white or black could fully define.

He now cared about a Villain's possible outcome, right?

Could he not even see how that contradicted himself?

He stood tall and let out a deep, looming breath.

"Geeeet out." He spoke through greeted teeth.

"By claiming such a thing. You, yourself, admit that his father knew better. Which would mean he doomed his own son with such trickery as the devil himself. Speedily dragging him into a similar fate as his own. Crushed. By the truths of the world!"

His hurt hand flinched and clutched into a tight ball, shaking violently as he seemed to be practicing self-despising.

Art suddenly materialized.

"I felt an increasing hostility, I came immediately. Doctor? What's the meaning of this?" Art rushed forward and stopped, looking to me first as if that was his first guess, before the Doctor.

Dr. Ram closed his eyes, seeming to slightly calm down as he lowered his arm slowly… gently to his side.

"This girl thinks she can save a soul so far corrupted that she could bribe the devil himself out of his own contracts. Do you realize you've self-exposed a horrendous flaw in your, so called, 'opinions' as to leave out that my mind can see all outcomes!? I know the fate of Shade… trust me." He cricked his neck to the side, and straightened it up again. "I will do all in my power to make sure the surest outcome is played with extreme and careful manipulation of space and time itself…. The continuum of possibilities is hacked! Or so one has said…" he raised his hand up, pointer finger skyward, declaring as if he could control it himself.

"But I know better, Lily." He smiled, shaking a finger at me.

"You don't know the true lines between yin and yang… and how harmoniously they work together. If this is a ruse to be stolen back into Shade's clutches… and then to expose all that I've tried to obtain… I won't rest until every last one of you is strapped to my chair and scanned as villainous threats!"

That was it.

I stepped boldly towards him, as Art looked dumbfounded by his creator's reactions.

"I will save the villain." I stated.

"But I won't claim mercy for heroes who can't even see their own humanity!"

-Dr. Ram's POV-

She stormed out as my eyes watched her in my lowered bow, and I slowly rose up and faked my scorn before smiling like a giddy, but impressed, grandfather.

She was my creation, after all.

I induced this behavior, and I intended to keep it!

Art looked unnerved, so I quickly addressed him, pulling my gloves off. "That will be all, Art."

I turned around and swiped my hand over the light that I had previously slammed my hand over to trigger him in seeing my heartrate.

It wasn't like the story wasn't true, nor my beliefs on the matter.

But now I had Lily back on track, just where I needed her.

Shade's possibilities were turning and shifting with hers… he was reacting to her. He had been for quite some time now.

I knew that by shifting her possibly, I could more easily ensnare him in his own doing.

After all, they both needed initiative that was sparked by their own conscience and conscious decision.

If they thought me interfering, I would have no control over the outcome.

Haha… 'outcome'… she really did believe there was some truth to Dark Destiny's intentions…

I tightened my fist, unwilling to forgive.

I thought of Art then…

"A father who isn't willing to give his child a chance to supersede him, or simply, exceed himself… To make more of his life than he ever did... That man is not worthy to be called father."

"…Sir?"

"Is Pre-Prom almost ready?"

"It's coming along… why are you so intrigued by it, Sir?" Art stepped back a moment, seeing my alarm was triggered not because of my lack of composure, but from something entirely different.

"Oh, nothing much." I rubbed my hand, before holding it up and looking to it.

My eyes flashed in color skimming across it.

"The future… I see it!" I exclaimed, and as my coat swished behind me, I exited this tale to bring to pass the rising of a new arc!

-Lily's POV-

Teleporter was still frightening to me.

I landed below as I saw Jet holding up a cardboard square reading, 'Colors', as if he had drawn it on himself.

But I didn't have time to be unamused.

Rocketman held his arms in a tight fold, and stared down his judgement upon me, and I knew from that moment out it was to be a quiet ride…

Looking out at the rain, I noticed the gate had barely a touch of rust upon its pearly self, and that smuggish, lengthy little rodent eyed gate keeper was still in his booth… not even paying attention as Richard had already pressed a card up against the front window and a light on the gate flashed red.

The gate opened and I thanked my lucky stars that gate keeper didn't have to see me again.

Or me him.

It was just annoying.

As we moved in, I tried to remind myself to not judge the rich anymore.

According to my Grey, all people were equal in their feelings.

I looked out the window from the backseat.

Maybe not so much in their perceptions though…

We pulled into the driveway of the familiar home, before I saw two shaggy, large heads nudging the curtains of the long windows away, and barking a glass shattering lion's roar at our approach.

As we went in, I saw Jankin's doing a silly spin as he tried to catch…

Sparkles!

She had gripped his coat's long tail, as most bulter's had two or one, he had three. He held a tray in his hands as he looked behind him and kept waddling a little dance in a circle, spinning to try and loosen her hold of his coat tail, but she laughed and floated perfectly alongside his movements to avoid loosing grip.

She suddenly saw me, and her paws dropped from holding it and dashed towards me, arms open wide, right into my face.

"LEE LEE!"

"Sparkles!"

The fear of being separated from her spiraled through me, and I held her so tightly as she nuzzled against my nose and eye, before the butler readjusted himself.

"Ehem. Forgive me. I can't quite seem to get a hold of her."

He looked down to the dogs as they also stood and wagged their tails, as Jet leaned down and took off the mask.

"It's me, boys!"

He knelt and spread out his arms.

They immediately slurped their tongues back in and jumped in his arms, slobbering him to death as he just smiled and leaned his face into it.

His face was basically sucked up into their mouths as they fully licked a loving scan to make sure it was who he sounded and smelled like.

"The mask works on all creatures, it seems." Richard took off his fancy jacket, and hung it on a coat hanger.

"…Army?" I pointed to insignias.

He looked back to me, and then the leather coat, and gently dusted the spot a moment. "Something like that…" he gazed at it like a loving memory…

"Oh! That's the Legacy League of Heroes memorial badge! Legacy League was a group of exceptional heroes who-!"

He turned then to Jankins.

"Enough, Jankins." He then looked down to me, gesturing to Jankins. "He's a fan." He then looked back up and gave what I thought was a bit of a cruel, mocking, and arrogant smile as he walked off.

Jankins shook his head with a doting smile. "Don't mind him. He's just teasing me is all. I got the part of butler from snooping too deep into their secret identities. To keep me quiet, and to get me a decent job, I got to be my favorite superheroes butler! Haha! They have laws against that now." Jankins jostled the tray in his hands as if showing his victory in his cunning, before putting the tray on his arm and waving his other hand a moment, balancing.

"But nevermind that. I wasn't like one of those, 'strings and maps' looneys."

"…Yes you were." Aldin looked up, wiping his face with his long, hero's sleeve and then smiling an innocent truth up at him.

Jankins gave him a look, "Well now I'm just some sort of creep without a restraining order, now aren't I?"

Aldin beamed, before looking to Richard as he spoke up again.

"Get her a bath going and some formal wear for tonight. I want them in bed by 10. I'll need the phone in the kitchen."

"As you wish." Jankins bowed, before clicking his heels and getting the tray in his hands ready.

"Now! Whose ready for supper?"

The dogs trotted into place in front of him, before Sparkles, still hanging from the side of my face, flew over and hovered in the middle of them.

They panted, nonchalantly, before she looked to each of them and then mimicked the behavior.

"Haha! She fits right in! W-well, in personality, anyway." Jankins amused himself as he lay the trait of I'm guessing really nice cooked meals, especially for dogs, and Sparkles jumped in with her own bowled supper too.

"She's enjoying herself." I smirked, as he nodded.

"I hope you approve of my taking care of her." He seemed concerned that I wasn't.

I nodded to him, showing my appreciation.

After all, he was only doing as he was asked too.

Though… I would have never taken him as a super-fan.

He had deep love for this family though, that's for sure.

"Mi'lady. Right this way." Jankins bowed, and offered me his gloved hand.

I smiled, nodding.

Aldin saw me heading up and quickly got up, outstretching his hand.

"Wait!"

"Now, Master Aldin. If you are about to say an inappropriate correlation between the young lady's bath and your own lack of a proper washing-"

"N-no… I was just gonna say we could watch a movie after she's done…" Aldin slowly lowered his hand.

Jankin's eyes widened, realizing he was wrong and shook his head violently, "Good gravy! I am most terribly sorry, Master Aldin!"

I thought it cute that he would think that, because so did I.

"I don't know why I would have jumped to such awful conclusions!"

"You're fine, Jankins." He then looked to me. "She's much too feisty on land as it is."

He winked.

I groaned as Jankin's gaped his mouth; appalled.

"The audacity of that child!" he quickly escorted me up the stairs, as I couldn't help but laugh to myself, trying to hold it in as I fought myself 'piff'ing little pockets of air out from my closed mouth.

A while later I had come down with a newer dress on, for nighttime still, but it made me look like Alice or Wendy in a strange way.

Aldin was watching T.V… and I thought this a good time to tell him I was sorry for yelling before…

He was, after all, trying to help… just in the worst possible ways, in my opinion.

I was thinking a lot in opinions lately… that talk with Ram got me going.

Sparkles was asleep on the T.V set, making me smile, before I paused from letting my foot fall on the last step before the floor.

"Dr. Ram. I'm serious. Hoisting a documented villain in my home is not what I agreed too."

I felt a tightening sensation around my throat, and my air suddenly got hot, drying my throat.

"…. I understand your willingness to believe in her. But you also defended a certain villain's son."

I sucked in one last cold sting of air, before holding my breath.

"…Forgive me. I meant no insensitivity… I-… Yes, yes. I understand it's for a day. I'm not worried about image. It's how I feel. Once a villain…

Always a villain."

I felt my foot slip to the last step.

"I just can't help but feel like I've known she wasn't one of us from the start."

I closed my eyes, willing no tears, and putting on a brave face.

I was tried of crying.

I was tried of the rules of another game.

I stood as my former self. Strong. Able.

Willing to be unwilling to comply.

I heard the cling of the phone and watched as Richard rounded the corner, walking up the first step before seeing my foot, and looking up.

I had opened my eyes to show the numbing he had given them.

I almost wanted to thank him.

I was released from needing to prove anything to anyone.

If I'm a villain… then so be it.

In your own eyes… anyway.

I watched him look down and then turn to walk passed me upstairs.

There wasn't a sign of recognition as to if he supposed I had heard him or not.

Maybe he thought I hadn't.

I walked down and approached Aldin.

He turned with a big popcorn bowl, and smiled gleefully.

How can someone be so happy… for so long?

"Lily!"

I broke to my knees, falling to the couch and crying by it's side.

I couldn't hold my brave face like I used too.

I couldn't fake it anymore.

I couldn't live life in my former glory because I knew too much suffering to endure that blissful ignorance again.

Sparkles woke up and shook her head around, before rotating her arms around and dashing over to me like a cartoon, then patting my head and hovering around me, trying to determine what was wrong.

"Woah!" Aldin moved slightly after my outburst, before slowly moving the popcorn bowl as if he was thinking while performing the action, and then placed the remote in his other hand beside it.

He slid off the couch, having turned the T.V off, and slowly reached to put an arm to my back.

I whacked it away, there was still no trust here.

This was just me unable to keep it together.

"I'm not crying to you!" I shouted out, but full out weeping.

He swallowed before pulling his mouth back, seeming to want to help but realizing I wasn't going to allow that.

"What happened? Can I at least hear that?"

I sobbed loudly a moment before controlling myself, wiping my tears on my forearm and glaring up at him.

"Your uncle hates me! He thinks I'm a full-fledged villain bent on destroying the world!"

"He said that?" Aldin looked confused, and looked up towards the stairs. "Are you sure?"

"He said something like that!" I threw my head back down, letting it wobble where it will. Back and forth.

For some reason, probably because of last time, Sparkles kept her distance and didn't disturb me.

She looked to Aldin, then to me.

"I… I can't believe he'd say that…" Aldin looked down and away, "I mean, … he's strict, yeah. Sort of. But… the old man wouldn't just say that to someone's face…"

"He didn't. I overheard a phone call." I sniffed out, looking up again and forcing my hand to wipe against my aching eyes. "He was talking to Dr. Ram."

"Dr. Ram? Did he say anything?" Aldin leaned more in, still looking flabbergasted apparently at this new information.

"I didn't hear the other end… but likely a lighter story." I admitted, Dr. Ram wasn't my enemy, but he also wasn't my friend.

I just couldn't trust me. He left me on the edge of my seat that last time. I couldn't stop thinking about his awful viewpoints on Shade too…

Shade could be redeemable… couldn't he?

I thought of that painful torture…. And instinctively held my arms around myself.

"…Lily…"

Tenderly, Aldin tried to offer his own arms.

He shook his head, desperate. "You can't just suffer like this alone."

"I will if I want too!" I swat them away again, but something pained me to do so.

I looked away and scooted off, as he looked frustrated.

He got up and suddenly punched a pillow, kicking the couch and walking away.

That frightened me a little bit, but he came back after ruffling up his hair violently still, and seemed like he had a handle on himself more now.

He sat down abruptly by me again and faced the table, letting one leg slide under it.

"You're not making it easy to save you, Lily." So he was upset.

I looked over to him, and huddled my knees up so I could hold them.

I wanted to be held… but…

"I don't need heroes… or villains. I need humans." I looked away.

"…Peh. You say that. But look at your only friend." Aldin gestured his head up to Sparkles, who still hovered above us.

A silent angel… watching at a safe distance above.

"Ever since you scared her off along with the rest of your potential buddies, she's been staying close by my side. I even tried to get her to jump into my eyes once!" he excitedly held a finger up to his eye, as I almost felt my heart drop and a deep sense of terror wash over me.

He lost his enthusiasm though, and turned back around, letting his hand fall to the table. "Eh, but she wouldn't."

I sighed quietly in relief, and looked back up to her.

… I didn't want to admit I pushed people away… not to Aldin.

But to me… I knew it was true.

I held my arms out to her.

Her eyes twitched open a little more as she watched the arms, looking a little hesitant as she didn't understand.

Her head swished to and fro, looking at each arm, before extending her own.

Aldin extended his, and with all the jealousy of a parent, I watched as my most precious possession immediately flew into his arms, and requited his outstretched invitation.

I was so enraged I turned away from the happy two, snuggling together as she loomed around his neck like a monkey, and he scratched behind her ears before letting her go.

He smiled to me, as she flew around to his back, and hung off there for a moment.

He lost his smile when he saw I wasn't looking… only at the corner of my eye.

".. She did miss you. But I think you scare her now." He repeated himself, and continued to try and get closer to me.

"Stay your distance. I want her back." I stated this so fiercely that he stopped advancing and looked more frustrated again, but kept it together.

"…Call her then." He folded his arms. "I'm not stopping you."

I looked to Sparkles.

"Come."

She looked over his shoulder, as I could only see partially her other eye and the tip of her nose.

"…Come." I glared.

She literally ducked her head behind him and let go, as if hiding from me.

I softened my tone, "…Sparkles..?" I tried to look over his shoulder.

He shook his head slowly, "You're unbelievable." He leaned back against the couch on his side, careful to not startle Sparkles.

"You demand affection, recognition, and even acceptance. Yet you fail to ever lend those out."

"Shut up!"

"No! I have a right to my mind! What can you do about it!? Reform it!? Dare to try!? What are you, a Politician!?" he had lunged forward and was right up in my face, gesturing his arms around, bewildered.

I leaned back, slowly moving my hands to crawl away from him.

"You think you're so self-righteous, don't you? Or maybe not even that. You just want justice as you see fit! Don't you realize your grey only benefits you!?"

I couldn't help it.

It was like instinct.

I pushed him away and started hitting him.

He was quick though, and let me overtake him, but definitely knew his way around a fight.

Sure, he was far better skilled at me than this, he was probably just wrestling, but I was trying to fight for real.

I failed miserably as Sparkles let out a cry and moved away from us, before tugging on Aldin's hair as we rolled and he got the better of me and pinned me to the ground.

"Knock it off!" he tossed his head around, making her let go. "She deserves to be taught a lesson! A big pie of humility!"

"I can handle myself!" I shouted out, "I don't need you criticizing my life!"

"Then don't criticize mine!"

I panted a moment.

He tossed his hair around again, some getting in his face. "I'm… I'm tried of watching you wander so long with your hands out in front of you, head down, as if you won't look up and just pick a path…"

"I like treading my own."

"You like wandering aimlessly and trying to grasp for understanding. You're no better than Sparkles. You're on a different planet than us all, Lily…."

He leaned up, letting my arms go freely.

He panted a moment before wiping his mouth and getting off, lifting a knee up to lift off of.

"You're no better than a lost cause… But I don't give up that easily." He turned away and walked around the couch, giving me time to get up as I grabbed my dress and tucked my feet under it again.

"You're… you're unbelievable."

"Than why can't you see… see it through my eyes." I looked sincerely… though angrily up to him.

He was tracing his hand along the couch, trying for inner-peace, I imagine.

He stopped at my addressing the real issue, and he turned to me, looking like he knew the better answer in the dark.

"…I just tried too." He stated.

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brow in confusion.

His face was…

Indescribable pain.

"I just tried to save a so-called Villain… from her own downfall."

I held my peace.

Though my heart shattered within me.

I had too many last straws.

But all the strings were cut now.

"…The longer you're alone… the worst it's gonna get."

He lightly banged his fist upon the couch, rhythmically, turning his head away.

"That's why heroes work in teams."

I ran to the kitchen, not waiting for him to leave.

In there, Jankins was whistling as he must have come from outside, since he had grass stains and trembled pink flower petals on the ends of his feet.

I ran straight into him.

"Woah! M-Mi'lady!" Jankins shifted in spot, lifting his arms up as he was washing dishes, before looking down to see me in my state.

"Ohh… you poor child. Here." He quickly led me to a chair.

"Wait here." He held a finger up and dashed for the freezer.

I just ducked my head down.. cupped my face… then lowered both to the table and moved my hands to wrap my arms around my eyes.

I heard a bowl hit the table a few minutes later, after clanking was heard.

I looked up.

Tears of joy at seeing the image of none other than the only thing I never lost hope in.

A bowl of ice cream.

The next morning I woke up early to avoid anyone. But my plan failed with Jankin's being up bright and early to do his chores and welcomed me with open arms.

He was cute, so I let it be, but as he untightened his arms around me he looked down and asked if it was alright if he could hug me.

That scamp. I smiled and told him of course, I just wasn't used to the gesture.

I guess that made him uneasy to hear that, as he sat me down in front of the large t.v screen and brought me breakfast on the couch.

I thought I heard him comment that it troubled him to hear that a sweet girl like me wasn't used to a good-natured hug. He even suggested adopting me if I enjoyed the hug, but I took it as a joke and waved it off.

As I watched the screen, I recognized my old news station that I used to watch, and being intimidated with the thousands upon thousands of channels their were, I just defaulted to that.

"Good day everyone, it's your favorite news report! We're here live after the events of a riot upon both Heroes and Villains alike! After a gang of elite villains forged a full-on attack against Dark Destiny's son and his followers, a massive battle was wrought on the east-wing of the city. Sadly, there were many causalities and some minor deaths."

Minor… deaths?

This was like that one tests on morals all over again.

"The heroes took to the scene to try and create peace, but while the Villains ignored them Dark Destiny's son took an unexpected tactic and wiped most of the area completely with a dark void of some kind! There are many missing personnel from the attack, and we're not quite sure what happened after that… only that both Heroes and Villains alike seemed to fight a common enemy for a change, and were forced to retreat after many were sucked into the void and never heard of again!"

I swallowed hard. What was Shade thinking? Attacking both Heroes and Villains?

He really was a lone force, one that didn't want to be reckoned with before his ideal time…

I hated admitting it, but maybe there was some twisted grey that matched my own in some way… although far more ruthless and unkind, he was treating both Villains and Heroes equality, to a degree.

"Oh wait… this just in! Everyone's been accounted for! Extreme bodily injuries and some… uh… strange murmurings about being contorted within a dark realm. It's absolutely terrifying but the good news is they seem like they're all going to make it!"

The scene was so boring though… The man just stood in front of a landscape that held no real interest, as if they were purposefully not showing the scene or anything else.

He just gripped the microphone as if for dear life, even though the events have already occurred and this was just the aftermath.

I scrunched my face up.

Maybe he was like the coward before?

"Don't worry, Lily."

I suddenly turned around, seeing Aldin behind me, holding a very look on his face as he turned to the screen.

Now it suddenly showed pictures, and I swished my head back around to give it my full attention.

The once… rural suburb of the outer east of the city was suddenly barren like a desert, and the buildings fallen and looking much older like age-old ruins instead of a modern society.

"I won't let him take you." He sipped a drink and looked down to me, before walking away and eyeing the screen again. "As long as you're attending the school, we can protect you."

Protect me?

That's when Lug's big head suddenly came into view as he rounded the couch, and stuck it right up to me.

His morning breathe was horrendous, and I had to turn away and puff out some air to get it away.

I reached my hands out without looking and tried to pet him.

My mistake.

I felt a slobbery sensation and then a wet warmth as my whole hand was placed within his mouth.

I turned to look back.

He started sucking on it and attempting to lick it at the same time, before sticking it out and licking it some more as if his masterpiece wasn't quite done yet.

After being satisfied with the amount of goo on my hand, he pushed passed it and held his head up again, waiting for praise on his handiwork.

Pun intended, only because I did pet him and then rushed immediately to the sink.

Jankin's wasn't kidding when he described these dogs the first time…

As if on cue, Maximus suddenly bounded up, sniffing me and getting a whiff of Lug, before seeming jealous and panting for me to pet him as well.

Fearing another slobbery hello, I just petted him over his head as he reached up to try and grab my hand with his mouth.

That must be their usual greeting.

"They won't leave you alone unless you do it."

I turned to see Aldin, smiling, as Lug was already sucking one of his hands. He called Maximus over and gave him his hand as well, as the two licked and slobbered it before Jet ruffled his wet hands onto their backs and Lug lifted a leg to hit against the floor, loving the scratches, and Maximus just lifted his head back and licked the air.

"They must have learned the manners from somewhere." I kid, looking to Aldin.

I was still mad at him, but unsure of how to go about it.

Which was odd for me.

I must have just woke up in a good mood.

After all, I should be meeting Coop again today!

It's been too long…

"So? Are you meeting the detective in that?" Aldin looked at my clothes, then back to me, bending down to continue loving on his dogs.

I immediately regretted being so cheery to him, he acted like nothing had happened the night before, and although I slightly was thankful he dropped the drama, I was still upset he showed no reaction whatsoever to my strange demeanor.

"I was going to change!" I spoke that kinda harshly, and quickly strode passed him.

"W-woah, hey!" he turned around, trying to follow me but the dogs took off after me instead, blocking his way as he was pushed aside by their massive bodies.

They followed me upstairs, though Maximus took his time, due to his age.

"I didn't mean to offend you!"

I heard his voice call up but stayed constant.

Getting into my room, I looked at the pretty, but far too formal gowns for my taste, and took out some genes and what looked to be one of Aldin's shirts.

I didn't have time to really ask permission, and besides, there was no casual wear for women here, so I just picked up the old record t-shirt and went to get Sparkles.

She was sleeping at the corner of the bed.

"Sparkz? Let's go." I bent down to get my suitcase in order when her eyes flickered open, and she yawned and stretched like a cat,.. or… maybe she was mimicking the dogs again?

She gave me a goofy smile, before peering over and wagging her rainbowic light tail.

"Lev lev?"

"No, we're staying. But I need to meet Coop real fast."

"Coop-a-de-coop!" she clapped, bouncing on her but as if she recognized the name.

Well, she should. I mean, she was within in me when I met him.

"Yep. He'll be here soon."

"Coop, coop. Coop, coop~" she flew up and spun around slowly in the air, making small loops and circles, seeming to think that 'coop' might mean 'chirp' like birds do.

"No, Sparkles." I laughed lightly, and leaned up, reaching up to her and outstretching my arms. "It's a name. Not a bird."

She paused, which alarmed me.

She looked at my arms, and hesitated, looking back at me.

I rose an eyebrow up, but my heart panged me with concern.

"Sparkles, what's wrong? Come down here." I was growing upset with her uncertainty. "You know I'd never hurt you-"

My eyes widened.

I had scared her to this point of mistrust? Could that have been a thing?

My arms twitched down, as I looked up to her heartbroken at my realization.

I knew she was being distant… but did she really think I'd fallen so much as to hurt her?

"Oh baby,… no… no, Sparkles, I'd never-!" I reached up again but she took off, moving behind the door, and taking a glance back at me.

So that was it?

I was never to hold her again?

My swallowed hard as tears threatened me again.

"Sparkles..?"

She held her peace, just staring at me, like a foreign animal.

"Lily?" Jankin's cried out for me.

She turned to Jankin's voice, and then flew out the door.

I fell to my knees, sobbing as I gripped my heart and turned around, panting.

Was this…

A panic attack?

It couldn't be!

But in her eyes…

I began sobbing a louder now, leaning against my bed.

I saw her look at me like a villain.

"Lily?" Jankins creeped the door open, before gasping at hearing me crying.

"Good heavens, milady! The master said you were in a bit of mood swing but I had no idea!"

He rushed to my side, trying to figure out what to do and just awkwardly scooted up to me and held me.

"There, there now. What's the matter? Come, come. Jankin's is at your service."

His arms once again greeted me and in my desperate state of sadness I clung to him.

He seemed surprised by my response being so sudden, but lightly stoked my head and ducked his own to my level.

"Lily, Darling… you have to talk about how you feel. Otherwise, you'll never stop crying."

It was a profound statement I wouldn't soon forget.

"…Jankins..?" I wiped my eyes, still panting hard and gripping my chest, trying to calm myself down as much as possible.

"Right here. Present and accounted for." His voice held the same warmth as his smile.

"…Do you…" I hiccupped a moment, "Do you see me as a villain?"

"Gracious, no!" he exclaimed, then pulled me away and put both hands on my cheeks. "Did the masters say anything? Gracious! By the good stars! Ever since the young master showed me a clip of you stopping that poor gambler from hurting that waiter I-… Oh, you were so extraordinary that I simply melted and became a fan instantaneously!"

He pulled me back into his arms and rocked me, lifting his head and repeating the same phrase. "There, there, child… You are what your heart thinks more than does. Shush, shush. There, there."

I was silenced in my sobs by his words, and pondered on them for quite a good minute, before he spoke something other than that line.

"You have a guest downstairs, but I would understand if you need a minute to tidy up. I'll stall with some herbal tea and a few salads. Will you be alright if I leave your side a moment?" he leaned back to look at my face.

I nodded, "Jankins?" I rubbed my eye a moment, looking away from him. "You're a saint, you know that?"

He beamed a warm, fatherly grin. "Now, now. I'm simply a father." He patted my head and got up, before rushing to the drawers.

"Now, you simply can't expect me to allow your guest to see you in anything other a dress!"

"Please… don't.." I laughed slightly, as I pushed off the bed to try and get my feet back under me again.

Supporting myself… I've always just been on my own.

Maybe Aldin was right.

Maybe pushing others away was really crippling, after all.

"Are you sure? Milady, I must insist!" he pulled out a flowered pink dress, and I just wrinkled my nose to it.

"Miladddy~ Oh~ Fine. But I won't be held responsible for the tomboyish looks they'll give you." He hung the dress back up and leaned his head back, faking his disappointment as he winked after wagging a pointer finger at me in a funny scold.

He walked out the door and I tried to look at myself in the dresser mirror, rubbing my red face and taking out some old makeup.

Yes, they must have bought makeup for me. Shocking.

I put some coverup on just to hide the red puffiness of my eyes and then added eyeshadow.

A perfect cover!

Better than a mask? Eh, not so much.

But metaphorically speaking, it could be.

For now… anyway.

As I walked downstairs, I noticed Pirece had handcuffs on and Detective Coop staring down Richard.

"If I find you've been treatin' her poorly…" he held a hand up, shaking it up and down.

"What, are you gonna smack him, Coop?"

He turned to me, and his eyes lit up.

"Well, now. There's the little lady!"

I took off in a sprint to him, as he removed a hand from Pierce's back and joined me in the hug.

He lifted me up, "The kid lives! How are you, sweetheart!" he held me as if I was one of his own.

When placing me down, we just lovingly looked to one another, a bond was formed that no one but we two could understand.

If I had wanted anyone to adopt me, it would be Coop's family.

"You alright here in the big upper metropolis?" he bent his head down to be leveled with mine, and eyed each individual in the room but Pierce behind him.

His funny usual quirks made me giggle, I was just so happy to see him. "Yeah, Coop. This Richie-rich place is just killing my gutsy vibe. Making me lazy."

He laughed, as if that was his kind of humor, and ruffled my hair.

"Not you, kid! You're always moving!" he laughed before turning more fatherly on me. "You had me worried…" he put his hands on his hips, leaning up and staring me down with a pain from days passed.

"I thought when you scampered off that last time… that I really had lost you." He nodded his head, and I could see the suffering that must of put him through.

"Oh, Coop." I leaned up and hugged him around his waist again, as he dropped to one knee and held me, before pulling me away and giving me a stern, professional look.

"Now, kid. I'd love to stay and cuddle, but you know, we need to be professional." He nodded, giving a firm frown and then turned to Pierce, "You're the underdog hero! Here's your underdog." He gestured to Pierce, who rose his head up at being addressed.

"He's probably watching us all through his weird mind, telepathy game…. Thingy." He motioned his hands in a circle around the sides of his head, before giving up and dropping them to his side, and then looked to me, as if still puzzled about what to call it.

"He's all yours! Won't talk until he's got your consent." He briskly left my side to walk up to a case of his, and unlocked the clicks up to open it and pull out a retro camera. "Now then." He got up, jostling it a bit and then rotating a clang in it.

"Since Pierce over yonder said he wants this conversation to be mentally exchanged, I asked if I could use a special camera to record the event. He agreed, as long as it didn't tap into his own mind." Coop swaggered back and tapped his forehead with his index finger, and then looked to him… and then me.

"…So what are we all standing around for? Greetings are over and it's back to work! Go, go. Shoo." He gestured the camera forward and realized we both didn't know where to go.

He let out a long, grumbled sigh and walked passed us to the kitchen. "Here will do. Come on! We ain't all dying slowly here."

I reached to try and take Pierce's arm.

He looked down and followed my notion, making me stop, as he clearly couldn't see me… but probably saw what I was seeing.

"…Do you always observe from 3rd person?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that kinda hard to know which side your on?"

He had pulled his arm slightly back, before relaxing and untensing himself.

He smiled.

"Only when I'm not afraid to look."

He moved his arm out to me, allowing me to take it.

I remembered suddenly an image, or was this his doing? Of when he exited the cell I was being tortured in.

Heh. I really did rattle him back then, didn't I?

"You most certainly 'opened my eyes' to something. Yes."

Good. You needed it.

I winked inside my mind's eye and walked him to the counter.

Helping him sit down, he motioned his hands up to the table and felt around, before turning to where he supposed Coop was.

"No drink?"

"Get him some water." Coop, folding his arms and standing above us, had positioned the camera down and already cranked it to rolling.

In a bit of confusion, Jankin's looked to Richard, who nodded his consent, and he went to fetch us both a glass of water.

Pierce smiled back at me.

For some reason… that made me suspicious…

He suddenly dropped the smile.

"Here you are…" Jankin's looked nervous, placing the drinks down, and watching Pierce tap the table and search with his hands for it, before finding it and pulled it closer to him.

"T…Thaan…ks." His voice sounded raspy, as if waking up from a coma or something.

"You alright?" I was concerned about it.

"I don't speak much." He gestured to me by turning his head slightly away, before looking forward again.

"Can't imagine why you would. After all, you speak through a mind link right?"

"Something like that."

He took a sip of the water.

"Cold."

"That's what makes it good."

He coughed a little, setting it down.

"I like room-temp."

I laughed a little to myself, before I saw Coop biting his thumb's nail, and gesturing for me to hint at what he was saying, nudging his head over to the camera.

I cleared my throat, losing the friendly act.

"Why have you come here? Aren't you still afraid of Shade? He's probably missing you a whole lot."

"The boy is Jet." He turned his head over to Aldin slightly, "… Interesting. He didn't say hello for me when I asked him too."

He turned back to me.

"What?"

"Let me explain."

A whole scene played out for me, and in seconds I felt like I had watched a movie, and jumped up out of my chair.

"Colors? I-I mean, Lily, you alright?" Coop walked over and shook his head at his mistake, before holding my shoulder to try and steady me.

"Y…Yeah, sorry, can we be alone a moment?"

I couldn't believe it.

I looked to Aldin.

He… he tried to fight Shade? For revenge… for me?

"He is a hero, after all." Pierce shrugged. "It's in his better nature to correct a wrong."

You say that as though you know a thing or two about heroes.

I glared back at him, not certain I could trust what I saw.

"You're breathing hard. It's worrying them. They won't leave you alone if they think I'm hurting you in anyway." He ducked his head down and pulled the water up to him again.

I shook my head, and turned to Coop. "Please, Coop. I'm fine." I put a hand on his, the one holding my shoulder.

"Honest. I just need to speak privately with him. The camera will remain on." I assured him of at least that.

He looked to the camera, then Pierce, then to me.

"Well played."

"Be safe, kid." Coop moved away, and started pushing and shoving the others out. "Well you heard the girl? What, ya don't have ears or somethin'? Get moving! Come on! Single file or not, you're letting these kids talk!"

They walked away into the living room, not much privacy, but enough at least.

I looked to Piece.

"Sit down." His voice in my mind was gentle as he removed the glass from his lips. "We should start soon."

I looked down.

"When you're comfortable." He sighed and smiled, looking around as if he could, and seemed to lean back comfortably in his chair.

He was too carefree… something was wrong.

He frowned again.

"You're a horrible actor." I stated, and sat back down. "Tell me why Shade sent you here."

His whole being went still…

"I know you're still afraid of him."

He froze up and I saw his lips twitching to stay down, and he quickly ducked his head, pulling his bandanna down more.

"I know he wants you to tell me something."

"….You… Shade's always had a… weird fascination for the mysterious. You could say you satisfy that craving. He hungers for it, actually. Even in school, he couldn't stop playing troublemaker and peeking into Dr. Ram's old equipment rooms. Forgotten projects and stuff."

Wait… Doctor Ram?

I tilted my head, but was sure not gonna say anything for the camera…

"…We were schoolmates." He motioned his head up. "Shade was the only registered possible villain though, given that title only because of his father. Not for anything he did, really… but you know how Heroes are. They believe you to be born in corruption, and remain that way for the rest of your days."

I listened carefully.

He smirked, "Now that I have your attention. I sincerely want to abandon Shade. He's getting too… too.." he looked away. "Reckless… is a lighter word for it. But I'll stick to that."

"Answer yes or no. Are you feeding this to Shade?" I leaned forward, placing my hand down, being dead serious right now.

"…He's getting another conversation entirely." He admitted. "I honestly am playing double agent."

"That's what I'm worried about."

He frowned again.

"I think you're bluffing."

"I swear,… I'm not." He seemed to be getting upset with my distrust.

"You're too afraid of him to just walk away."

"That's why he thinks I'm convincing you to join. I know better. I want to join you."

"Why? What makes you think I'll be able to help you?"

"Cause you're the only one that can stand up to him and live!"

"Even if you weren't bluffing… Shade would know you were. He's met me too many times. He knows me. He'll know if it's imagination."

"Which is why I need protection… and to convince you to go back to being a hero."

I clamped my mouth shut.

"I've been trying to watch you, Lily… Trying to understand. I still don't quite get it. But I've kept my discoveries from him. Jet tried to make you a hero, and you refused. Shade tried to torture you into submission, and you fought back. If you're neither a hero nor a villain… what are you?"

"I'm Colors." My eyes started to tear up again.

"….What does that mean?" he tilted his head, and I could tell he was unsure why I was getting emotional about that.

I held to my guns, and tightened the gripping feeling in my gut.

"I'm…. I'm the one who saves the villains." I wiped my nose, remembering for the first time in a long time why I even wore a stupid suit and mask.

"…Are you a hero then..?" His question was real, I could tell.

"…You tell Shade. You tell him that you're under my protection now." I stood up, "And you tell me what the deal was about the bank."

He opened his mouth as if in awe.

"…Okay! I-I-I'll te-te-tell you-u-u everythi-i-ing!" he leapt up, looking startled and also having adrenaline pump through him.

I looked at him, shocked.

"I…I won't tell him. H-He'll attack. J-just like the U-under-gr-gr-ground school." He was having a hard time speaking, and felt around for his drink, chugging some down.

He set it down and still seemed riled up. "H-He loves danger… an-and normally can't… can't… can't fulffff… fulfffffillll that." He started to pant, and speak within his normal means again.

"He wants revenge. He attacked the bank to cripple both Heroes and Villains. He considers them all Supers, not one over the other. He wants revenge for his lost father and anyone against him is his enemy. He's declared war on the world but won't move till he's gotten every advantage possible."

"What was his relationship with Dr. Ram?"

He grew quiet, still shaking himself left and right, as if stepping from left to right and shifting weight up and down, side to side.

"I… I think he was trying to save him from this fate." Pierce looked away, ducking his head down under his armpit. "I'm scared… I'm sorry, Lily. I'm so scared…"

I ran over quickly to his side, seeing him tear up and grabbed him, pulling him into a hug.

"I know, Pierce, I know. I get scared too. But you're going to be alright. I promise."

"I've done a lot of bad things.. I was an orphan… I spoke to my parents as a baby through my ability, and they abandoned me. Shade helped me get revenge… I regret what I did. But I'm ready to leave this life. I know I'll have to make up for what I did, but I want to do so safely.. Lily. Rumors of you saving the Villain has given kids courage, but they're too afraid to defy Shade." He pulled me out of his arms, his bandanna showing his soaked eyes.

"Lily… if you defeat Shade… we can be good. Some of us want to get out! Please… you're the only one we have the faintest hope in… can actually take Shade seriously and stop him."

This was what I needed to hear.

A fight worth my efforts for.

I had to save these kids.

Just like I had to save those kids with the help of Coop.

I knew there were consequences, but they needed an a safe out too, and I gave them that.

"Lily. You're right. Please. Let's make a plan, and quick!"

"…Let me see your eyes." I turned to lift his bandanna.

"..!?" He gasped and moved away. "W-…Why?"

"I need to know that you trust me." I walked back up, before stepping back and shaking my head. "No. You need to come to me." I needed to test his loyalty.

"I need to know that if Shade seems to be having the upper-hand, you won't submit to save your own life. I need to know you really mean it, Pierce!"

The living room had some noises come from it, but I stayed fixated on Pierce.

This would decide everything.

He turned his head to listen to the noises in the living room, before seeming afraid and looking to me.

"It's bad. Lily… Indirectly looking at your brain isn't as bad as if I was to actually 'look inside it'."

"Please. You have to trust that I won't run from you… just like you won't run from me, understand?"

"I'll know everything, Lily! If Shade gets me and tortures me he'll know everything! I'm not that strong, Lily! I'm scared!"

"Come. See me for who I am then. But then promise to lock it so far away that you can never reveal it to anyone."

"….You're serious… not even Shade will let me do that…" he lowered his hands. "It's too personal. I'll know you like I was you. Lily…"

"I've already had someone fuse with me and learn all about me. I'm used to breaking my privacy now."

"It's too risky!"

"You have to trust me! With this, you pay a price! You will have to loyal after this because you'll owe me that much!"

"You're just like him… but kinder, gentler… more of a friend than a general."

"….Don't say that." I stepped away. "I don't want to admit that." My voice grew faint, as I looked down.

"You two will do anything to have your ideal realized… even forcing me to look within you to your core. I will know if you are him then. I will know… if I can trust you."

He reached up and started to untie his bandanna.

"You may scream." He stated, lightly.

"Why?"

"Because you'll know I'm looking… you'll feel me seeing everything." He stepped up, keeping his eyes shut, put putting his hands to my waist.

"I don't mean to seem forward… but you may push against me. I'm serious, Lily. This will be uncomfortable. I'll know everything you've ever done in your life."

"How long will it take?"

"Only a few seconds. Most people run from me. So I wore a bandanna."

"I won't run, Pierce. I need you to have something to believe in. And if you need all of me, then fine. So be it."

I'm threw pushing people away, I won't do it anymore.

His eyelids flickered, as if amazed to hear that from my thoughts.

"I am… curious…" He slowly flickered his eyes open. "I want… to know you… the hero… of many colors."

I sucked in my breath. I didn't want the others knowing what was happening.

He fully opened his eyes and I barely saw the action.

All I saw was the world fading to white like a transition in a movie, however, it was completely surrounding my sight, and I moved back, terrified.

I felt hands pull me back and I suddenly saw images and thoughts and relived flashes of feeling, emotion, and everything happened so fast but I kept my mouth shut, whimpering only a few times before the whole avalanche of everything stopped in an instant.

When my vision came back from the white, I was collapsed on the ground, as Pierce set me down and then moved away, putting his bandanna back on.

"Lily!"

A gust of wind and suddenly someone else was holding me, as I blinked to try and get my sight back and saw Aldin holding me, bending down and looking deeply concerned.

He glared at Pierce.

"What did you do to her!?"

He held his peace, breathing slowly.

Coop walked over but Richard pulled him back by his coat, and with his massive build grabbed the boy and pushed him back against the fridge.

"You better say something or else…" Richard almost growled out, before I coughed and he set the boy down.

"He's… he's only doing what I told him too." I pushed against Aldin to get him away, and got up, wobbling and gripping the table for support rather than him.

"Lily..!" Aldin tried to help me but I pushed him away again. "No… I'm fine. Stop." I started to walk as best as I could from my shocked state to Richard, putting a hand on his muscular arm.

"Stop. Let my friend go…" I weakly stated, as I put a hand on Pierce's arm, who was trembling.

"You're scaring him."

Richard looked to Pierce, seeing him truly afraid, and let him go, before Jankins helped me stand.

"What happened, kid? And you better keep your … your mind shut!" Coop pointed threateningly to Aldin, before turning back to me.

"He's on our side. I gave him someone to trust. Stop pestering him and get him some protection. He'll testify in court against Shade. He'll be with me from now on in the Hero's school. Won't you, Pierce? My right hand man?"

Pierce looked down.

"Sorry, I meant friend. I shouldn't have said that. Forgive me. I truly do think you're a swell kid. Emm.." I felt myself about to throw up but held it in, leaning against Jankins.

"Milady!"

"I'm fine. Just phased a bit. Ehem… Do you forgive me, Pirece?"

He held his peace, but nodded his head. "I K-kn-knew wh-a-a-t you m-me-meant-t." He chopped out, really needed some speech therapy it seemed.

"Alright. Good. You know a lot of things now, right?" I crooked a corner of my mouth up into a smile, as he turned away as if ashamed, but I knew he was grateful for the sacrifice.

The dogs came in barking, as Sparkles rode on top of Maximus, but Richard ushered them out of the room.

"There are dogs here?" Pierce must have sent that signal to everyone, because Aldin chuckled lightly.

"He really is blind, huh?"

"Shut up, Aldin. Leave him alone."

My harshness made him look to me as if shocked I would speak to him like that over a little comment.

Pierce seemed to try and read into that but just looked to me, and held out his hand.

"To fulfill the contract. I'll swear my loyalty."

"No." I put my hand to his, gaining strength enough back to push my back away from Jankins holding me up by my armpits and shook his hand by his wrist. "Just your friendship. This deal wasn't meant for business, it's meant for reassurance. I'll be by your side, Pierce. You have a friend now. A legit friend."

Some tears escaped from under his bandanna as he nodded.

"Coop!" I cried out, swinging my head to him, suddenly feeling a light-headedness. "Get that lousy camera and record this boy's confession! Then, bring him to school! I'll talk to Dr. Ram and that's that!"

After Pierce and Coop left, a few hours later, I was being driven back to my apartment, as the girls all stared out their apartment windows to look and see Aldin escorting me to my room.

"… I don't need an escort."

"You almost vomited in the car!"

"Thanks for the concern. But I already told you. There was no pain, just nausea from letting him see me for who I truly am." I walked with my suitcase to my side, as he seemed to be getting more and more frustrated by my cold reactions.

"Dang it, Lily! Can't I just walk with you cause I care?!"

I was letting people in… but Pierce knew what it was like to be an outcast, Aldin only knew poor life, and very little of it.

I felt closer to him than Aldin at this point.

Experience trumps time, in this case.

And I emphasize with Pierce more than him.

"I have something to ask you." He stopped, looking slightly defeated as I turned around, still trying to rip him off of me like a sticky, tight coat that I can't seem to get off my arms.

"What?"

He tightened his jaw.

"Hurry up. I want to make sure Sparkles doesn't stay in her carrier too long."

"…Will you go to pre-prom with me?"

My attitude suddenly shifted.

I stared at him in incredulous disbelief.

After everything that happened… he still claimed to-

I shook my head.

"What are you saying? To just… forgive you and move on from all the horrible things you've said!?"

We were center stage now, as the girls all peeked out their windows and lifted them up to hear us better.

Aldin didn't seem to notice or care about our audience though.

He spread his arms out, "Hello!? How clear do I need to make this for you! I love you! Alright?! I'm going to help you and I'm going to your right hand man or whatever you said to him. I don't trust him. I don't trust you. And I really want too. Cause you have no idea what's it like to love something so much and want to protect it only to see it fight against you!"

My eyes trailed down to Sparkles carrier…

"I do know… something… like that."

"Well then. You sure know how to hammer the nail deeper, don't you? Sheesh! Lily! I'm just trying to help you before you hurt yourself!" He turned around and kicked the ground so hard that wind burst out from his feet, spiraling upwards and then diffusing in air.

He turned back to me, looking hurt from rejection.

"Just tell me already. Have you ever once told me the truth? Or was everything a game? Huh? Was it real or a lie? Was it manipulation or was it playful teasing? I'm confused. And I'm mad. And I feel cheated and abused! You either say it back or-!"

"I'm going to Pre-Prom… Aldin."

He breathed harshly, before lifting himself up, and bending his head down.

"…But I'm not going with you." I shook my head into a tilt, my eyes littered with painful conviction. "I don't know if I can ever forgive you. Or learn to accept that you really love me as I am. I did like you, Aldin. But I hated Jet." I felt tears threatening, this was cruel… why was I being so cruel.

His lifted his head up, tears suddenly piling in his eyes too.

We stared a moment, before I forced my trembling jaw to open once more.

"I loved you when I didn't know you."

"…So that's it then. You're just leave me in the dust. The only guy who ever wanted to help you." He gestured his hands out, before gripping his head and turning around, squatting and letting out a horrid cry before getting back up.

He had shouted to release whatever anger or other feelings that were going on in his heart, as I just closed my eyes, and turned around.

He looked back, truly heartbroken this time, "LILY!"

I walked on.

"Lily…" He held out a hand, then tightened it upward and flung his neck back to turn around and blast off into the sky, flying so fast it left a white cloud as a streak behind him.

I finally did turn around at the aftershock of the wind blast, and looked up at the sky.

"JET!"

He was already out of earshot.

I shook my head.

Why was I so mean to him?

I should have just forgiven him.

Why did I go and break his heart?

What was the point of me deciding to let people back in if I refused to let him back in?

I shook my head and cried, rushing up the stairs as I burst open the door, hitting a it a few times until Kiki opened it, and jumping on my bed after placing Sparkles down.

"Lee lee! Lee lee!" Sparkles shook on her carrier's cell like door.

Kiki rushed over to the side of my bed. "Lily! Are you alright?!"

"Just let her out!" I shouted, ducking my head down and crying into the covers of my bed.

She looked confused, but bent down in little hops of her upper body and opened the cage.

Once the cage was open, Sparkles suddenly leaped out and raced out the window.

"Ohh!" Kiki placed her hands over her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"

I rose my head up, and raced to the window, slamming my lower torso up against it, "SPARKLES!"

-Jet's POV-

I stood on a high sky scraper with my suit and mask on, rubbing my eyes as I drew in the sky by manipulating wind to make the clouds form a certain way.

Sparkles flew as a ball of light to go faster, before materializing by my side, and sitting on my knees, mimicking the action of her bouncing, and wanting me to bounce her on my knee.

"S-Sparkz?" I looked around, before back to her. "Are you alone?"

"B-b-b-b-ee~" she kept bouncing, as I shook my head and laughed lightly, before pulling her closer and rubbing her cheek.

"Why is she so cruel, Sparkz? Why can't she just… say what she means." I wiped my eyes. "I know she can't hate me that much… she just can't… right?"

Looking down, I noticed her smile and realized something.

"…You think she's been cruel lately too… don't you?"

She just kept patting my hand, and then singing some kind of melody as I sighed, drooping my head down more before pulling it up when I heard something strange.

I saw something black in the distance, like a swarm of bees or bats… or ….

"No way…" I loosened my grip of Sparkles.

She flew out and gestured her tail out, and then tugged on it before a pink strand came out, and she tried to hold it up to me.

I didn't get it at first, too fixated on the darkness, before seeing it gleam at the corner of my eye and looked it over closer.

"…Is that?" My blush line?

She nodded happily, and then rubbed against it, before blinking up at me.

"…So… she used to care, that's great. Real swell. I gotta go to work now." I only felt more fire consume me, more desire that couldn't be fulfilled now that she hated me.

I had only wanted to protect her. Maybe even be able to hold her and hear more about her life, where she came from, how she became Colors… But that was lost now.

I did something wrong and she wasn't gonna turn a blind eye to it.

I had followed the book and wound up losing.

I 'tsk'ed to the side, spitting down and looking back at the darkness.

I needed something to punch.


	15. Chapter 15

Colors

Ch. 15

Villainous Delusions

By: Cutegirlmayra (I've been struggling with personal things lately and it's been increasingly difficult to want to write anything. I'd rather simply play and goof off. But I don't like to be unproductive, and I already have this chapter outlined. Forgive me for the delay, I do Tumblr prompts and Fanfiction while editing old fanfics and preparing them for season 2s. I'm also planning to make this a Prequel to the next book I write. -this will give backstory- but before I write that I should finish this one and my other projects xD Spoiler and surprise! Well, here goes nothing. If you pray, could you pray for me? Thank you!)

I was helping get things ready, when I noticed Sparkles hadn't returned yet.

The party was going to start soon, Pre-Prom, or whatever.

Honestly, I hadn't studied and paid much attention in this Heroes school, and now they expect me to join in on their festivities?

I couldn't lie though… something made me excited to wear Guinevere's dress. It had bubbled up inside of me all night, while also the nervous guilt that swarmed me about Sparkles and Aldin.

Jet… Aldin… there was still a huge difference in my head. Jet was cocky and impulsive, flirtatious and followed the 'rules of conduct' for Heroes. Aldin was charming, clever, and sensitive. He had a rough life, a little different from mine, but I could tell we were somewhat kindred spirits looking for a honest place to call home.

Why couldn't I just combined the two? Was it really that hard too?

I started realizing it wasn't, and that frightened me…

I bent down to put the remaining decorations in the last box and picked up. My dress was hanging up, and I turned around to stare at it with a sense of longing. I really did want to spin in it again…

"Hey, Kiki?" I didn't really look to her at first, before gently shifting my neck to see her still scrambling to get all her things together. Our room was piled with her decorations and party get-up. I didn't mind hosting it, apparently, even in a heroes school there was still pranks and tomfoolery. Last year, someone put whip cream on all the decorations and then spray-painted the entire activities hall's floor to look like some punk's senior exhibit gone wrong.

I had to shake my head, then hold back a snorted chuckle because Kiki's face turned white as snow after hearing that story.

She insisted we put guards out by the ballroom, a.k.a gym, and keep all the party supplies in our dorm's apartment.

I couldn't imagine who would stay up that late to guard things, but apparently, Art wasn't programmed in that year to be a 24-hour A.I with security settings. Recently, Dr. Ram had combined the security with Art's systems, so with this new recent upgrade, Art agreed to watch the place, as he now was constantly doing.

I could also tell that Kiki was excited about her big 'plan' to woo Art into stepping outside the computer he was locked too and making him real to dance with her.

I didn't know why, but I was slightly worried this science-fiction dream of hers would fail somehow. I had this hunch that Art would stumble with his feet, not know how to breath, and somehow faint before Kiki could even start her flirtations.

She only hummed in reply to my question, which was asked a few ticks on the clock ago, being completely fixated on tidying everything up. "Hmm?"

She sucked her lips in as she hunched over and kept putting things in the box, before taking some out and switching where they were in the different boxes.

"…Have you seen Aldin these past few days?" I knew it was a bad idea to ask, but something kind in me begged me too.

"Aldin?" She looked up, and smiled. "Aw, you miss him, right?"

I blushed, but instinctively looked away to avoid her seeing it.

"Hehe~" she chimed, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm afraid I haven't. But I'm sure he'll come to Pre-Prom! Everyone will be there!" she excitedly started to pile boxes on each other, and although they weren't very heavy, I worried about if she could manage all of that.

"Do you need help?" I offered, showing her I only had one medium-sized box.

She turned with a surprised expression on her face, before straightening up her back and looking touched. "You know… when you're worried about something, you can be really nice!" she almost cheered the words out, and then put two oversized and stuffed boxes on top of my own.

I stumbled with the new-found weight but readjusted my legs and knees. Unable to see over them, I turned my head to try and look around them; no good.

"Thank you so much!" she really did seem grateful, but I felt strangely weird about her comment.

I looked out the window, the only visible thing was either directly to my sides or behind me, and seemed to wait for Sparkles to come charging in to hug me. It wouldn't be uncommon for her to find a clumsy moment for me and ram into me, causing something mischievously innocent to occur. I imagined this, the boxes flying up and their contents spreading everywhere; Me falling and bruising my elbow. For some reason, I sighed as if I wanted that to happen.

Then… I felt awfully alone.

"Lily!" Kiki called, having already made her way out of the room with some boxes tucked under both arms and one dangling unbalanced upon her head.

"I've got it, monkey!" as if trying to be cutely funny, I heard Sam call out and the boxes start floating around Kiki, making her smile and laugh.

"Oh-oh-ah-ah!" once the boxes were free from under her arms, she did a monkey like follow-up action and then hugged Sam.

I walked out the door, looking back to the mirror before my boxes were also lifted up in Sam's gravity abilities.

"Thanks for coming." I stated.

The two girls stopped their girlish, excited greetings of jumping up and down within each other's enthusiastic arms and then stared at me.

"…What?" I stepped back a moment, surprised by their quietness.

Have I ever seen them so still..?

"You… you're speaking nicely." Sam stated.

I felt something in my heart drop. Was I always rude to them or something?

"I like it!" she let the sound bounce out of her throat, before turning to Kiki. "Has she been talking this much the whole time?"

"Yeah! It's really cute and funny!" Kiki replied, which only made me feel worse.

I didn't know I was so quiet around these girls… It wasn't like I didn't consider them friends but… I guess… I never showed it much.

I walked on through the hovering boxes and made my way passed them.

"Come on, we're gonna be late for Pre-Prom." I tried not to sound so depressed, but I couldn't help it. I felt like Aldin had been absolutely right. I pushed too many people away. And I kinda knew that, but I also didn't want to believe I was so… so…

"She's back to moody again…" Sam sighed out, before grabbing Kiki by her hand and skipping a moment before rushing up behind him.

"Sam! The boxes!" Kiki was being dragged behind, before Sam flipped around to pull them rapidly up by our sides.

The room shifted like a twisting paradox, but rippled back into a stable plain of reality as the boxes now slowly followed after us. One moved in front of me and I simply pushed it a little farther ahead.

'Alright.' I thought, 'Lead the way.'.

-Pre-Prom-

The dress was gorgeous.

Even after preparations were over, I stood like a wallflower on the side of the gymnastic, looking for Aldin with every turn of my eye.

Did he really not come?

I felt even more guilt bite at me like a shark frenzy. I really was horrible, wasn't I?

Everyone was laughing, enjoying one another's company… my 'friends' were off doing their thing… before I saw Terris make her way over to me with a huge plate of stacked food on top of it.

I smiled, looking down shyly. For some reason, I liked that someone had noticed my pathetic existence.

"Hey." I stated, wanting more than anything to get my mind off of these strange feelings and desperate searching for Aldin.

My hands overlapped behind my tailbone and pushed on the wall, trying to merge with it out of my embarrassment for not being able to push these feelings away and enjoy the moment of peace and disco lights.

What about Sparkles? Wasn't she with him?

"You alright, gurl?" She was chewing, looking at her food and pecking at it with her fingers. She didn't even look at me, but then again, I barely stole a glance to look at her. She hit the side of the wall hard with her body just dropping to let her arm take the blunt of the hit, making me twitch before she acted like nothing happened and continued, "You took a hard hit a while back. I didn't see you at school after that. You skippin' or just trippin'?" she finally made eye contact with me, maybe trying to relate or scold me, I wasn't sure.

"I.. There was someone I was suppose to see again." I took a breath, not wanting to say more about it. "Have you seen Aldin?" The words almost released themselves without my awareness that I had spoken them aloud.

"Nah. He's probably luring some cute girl off to the back of the school."

My heart dropped then.

"Haha! Kidding! I haven't seen him. Plus, he's not as popular as you would think."

My tongue instinctively started to clean the front of my top teeth, "Yeah." I finally spoke out, "I guess not."

She took another large chunk of mixed food on her plate and started chewing, having to lean her neck back to keep it all in there.

Once done, she wiped her mouth and winked to me, "Hoping for a dance?"

I turned my head away with a roll of my eyes, "He'll the only guy I know."

"So..? Doesn't mean you can't dance with him!" Terris started to shake her hips and then push them towards me. "Come on~ Gurl, you gotta have some fun." She urged me to dance, but I just let the assault happen, keeping my head turned away.

"Ah, come on, you're no fun." She took another bite and started cha-cha'ing over to the buffet table again, even though her plate was still full. "Call me when you can't sit still anymore." She offered and moved on.

I smiled, everyone here was kooky, but sweet.

Then, someone came out of nowhere and leaned themselves as physically close to me as possible- "Lily…"

In shock, I jolted in spot before excitedly containing my joy. "Aldin!"

"Aldin..?" His face formed into a curious expression, before the corner of his mouth smirked to the side and he leaned an arm up over me. "Ah… I usually go by 'Jet' here."

…Had he told me that before..?

"O-oh, right." I felt a little shut down, sliding lower, before moving to the side and looking around him.

He laughed, not sure what I was doing. "What are you doing? Something suspicious?"

"Where's Sparkles?"

"Who?"

"Don't play around, Al-..Jet. I want to make sure she's alright."

I was confused why he was acting so strange before he leaned his head up and grabbed both my arms, stopping me from searching around his back.

"You are a wild one, Lily… I've been waiting to see you again." He lowered his head down, and something about his eyes… stopped me.

Suddenly, he turned his head and more students came in. He nodded and smiled to them, but I didn't understand why he was greeting them all so silently.

He then turned back to me, "Care to dance?" he offered me his hand, but there was something off about Jet… He…

I took his hand.

It must be all my fault. He's probably acting this way because he's still hurt. I had to fix this, I just didn't know how.

"Jet, I-"

"Shh, this is our song." He pulled us into the center of dance floor, expertly spinning me through people and then starting to sway with me.

The song wasn't anything special, and I didn't recollect having a song with him, but I figured that was him trying to limit small-talk, which did get us into trouble often, and continued to dance with him.

His eyes… even though they weren't always on my own, caught me at every turn.

As we danced—granted, silently— I just felt like I was in another world, on another plain of existence. He sometimes moved me to the edge, then towards almost every part of the gymnasium that had been transformed into a ballroom.

More people were spreading out and I wondered… "Where did you learn to dance so well?"

He momentarily moved his attention back to me and stepped forward, moving me out and pulling me back into a small dip. "Maybe I just…" He spun me halfway till he could rock back and forth with me in his arms, and I couldn't help but feel a warmth as he moved my back closer to his chest.

Did he get shorter?

The memory of him 'saving' me back in school suddenly appeared. But this was different, instead of ticked off freshmen and fighting words that sparked more jokes later, Jet was being strangely…

Alluring…

It put me at ease though, seeing as he wasn't going to kid around… at least… this time.

"-Wanted to impress you?" He finished with a stirred whisper in my ear, leaning his head down to the crook of my neck.

I got nervous when I felt his breath and moved away from him, for some reason, breathing hard.

Was it the dancing?

He seemed amused by my sudden movement, and stepped forward again, not reaching for me. "You're far too tense. I imagined you more.." he let his hand fly in the air for a moment before spinning it back to gesture at me. "disguised."

Disguised?

Oh… he must think I'm cloaking my emotions again…

I let my hand grip my other arm… looking down.

"I… I shouldn't have been so-"

"Coy with me? No, you shouldn't." he suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "You should be infatuated."

I didn't understand this odd flirtation, but I didn't put it passed him.

Was flirting his way of coping?

I quickly turned out of his grasp and took hold of his hand. "We need to talk." I stated, "C-come on." I started leading him to the only place I had recently heard was secluded enough to hide out in.

At the back of the school, I let go of Jet's hand, and angrily stared right into his face.

"What's your problem!? Aren't you mad at me!? I'm trying to say I'm sorry for all the crap I've put you through and all you can do is try to… try to… woo me or something!" I flung my hands around, being a little too animated.

I couldn't help it… I know I keep saying that but it's because I couldn't control my emotions again… This time… I just wanted Jet and I to be on good terms again.

"I made a mistake. I rejected you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed anyone away- you were absolutely right! I'm selfish! I can't trust easily. And worst of all, I distrusted you when you were just trying to help me. Do I like this school? No. Do I like the people in it? Some of them, but besides that I'm not sure. All my life I've had to look out for me. Darn, I'm rambling. Anyway, monologue aside, I just wanted to say that I like you too, Jet. You're a great guy. You may be a little eccentric and cheesy but you're at least willing to save me… and for a while… you must have thought I was a villain too. Or loose vigilante- something! Jet! I just-" before my stupid mouth-vomit could continue and embarrass me further, Jet rubbed his chin and licked the side of his mouth, looking down as if analyzing this.

"We're pretty close… aren't we, Colors?" he grinned to me, before I saw some sigh of anger escape his nose while he raised his head up.

"W-w-what do you mean we're close?" I was taken back, growing more frustrated. "We're friends!"

"…No we're not." He stepped forward, looking almost insulted. "I think I know what we are."

Suddenly, before I could verbal whack some sense into him, he leaned down and kissed him, pulling himself forward and shocking me completely.

There was something comforting but aggressive in that kiss… it wasn't like the one before…

Then a bomb went off.

"Ah, that's my cue."

He pulled me away, and as I opened my eyes, I gasped.

"SHA-!"

He covered my mouth, the darkness around him licked like whispy flames around him as the image of Aldin faded away, and replaced with his red, glowing eyes.

"Ah, I liked that. But I hated this little talk at the same time."

He patted my cheek, still covering my mouth with one hand as I tried to pull it away.

How could he be this strong!?

How was he Jet!?

I was so confused, but then he snapped his fingers and some shadowy vines entangled around me, lifting me up and pulling me along to follow him.

"Don't struggle. Our little chat left me in a mood of mixed feelings." He then rubbed his chest and threw his head back, laughing.

"As if I had feelings!"

-Kiki's POV-

Before the bombs…

There was dancing.

Anticipating.

I started weaving my fingers nervously through each other. My eyes searched with a longing that only the heart can fixate on, never letting its victim go.

What am I saying— it was love! Unpolluted by reality and mischievous games of toying with young ladies' hearts!

I was elated! No, ecstatic!

I was…! I-in a panic?

Where was my love? Where was Art?

I puckered my lips tightly together and lightly let a quiet whine escape my moist throat, having recently waited to make sure Lily was okay and found Aldin. After all, he once asked me how she was doing when she would arrive late to school from sleeping in. That must be love, right? Worry?

Well, I'm worried!

My perfectly planned and rehearsed scene for this very moment was slowly dripping down the drains of my brain's imagination sewers… I tossed my body left and right in frantic movements. Searching…

My heart stung! This had to be it! The moment I freed Art from the cyberworld of unloved data-molecules or … whatever computers are made of and into my open arms! I could teach him to breathe first, in case that was an issue. Maybe touch later? Just so that he's comfortable with the new-found pressure on what I can only assume to be perfect skin…

Oh, I almost forgot about walking.

I searched for any glimmers of light green. My fairy tale was tonight,… but all I could see were shadows of familiar faces dancing in brilliant lights without me. I felt in the limelight, the kicker or ¾ backlight, shining too brightly behind their dancing silhouettes to make out their faces… I was studying film lighting… it was a passion of mine. I thought my art could improve from it…

Nothing… nothing would beat tonight if I could only find him…

Would he find me?

My hands vigorously went back to work, trying to calm me with rubbing sensations between the wedges of my fingers. I felt the sweat, then the humidity of the hot air from the lights…

Would he really stay locked in his box? Watching from the sidelines?

Then, as if before my heart could falter another moment, I saw him materialize like pixie dust consisting of electronical special effects across the room…

He helped someone avoid a power outlet, my typical gentlemen~

I felt as though my feet were on the humidity of clouds, gliding with lightless steps so quickly towards him that my body felt like a ghost passing through the crowd. Not one foot fell on me. Not one eye batted as I lunged one foot out gracefully through the air, my dress passing by as though a mist floating daintily to the bottom of the dance floor.

Like a Pegasus with it's hooves moving through air, I landed without wings and with barely the sound of my heels touching the floor when he turned to me, a little surprised.

I was so overcome with joy that I didn't speak at first.

He withdrew his neck back slightly, reclining away as though he had been avoiding me.

That thought broke my light, airy feeling and I was suddenly plummeted back to the ground. My shoulders hunched, and my head drooped in weariness at my strain to catch him. Did my heart all at once land through that wild canyon's sea floor? Like they did in cartoons?

It felt that way… when I saw his reaction to me.

But I never fretted! That was something only the side-characters would do!

I was the princess, the star of this film.

And he, my daring and brave knight~

"…Miss Kiki…" He seemed to simulate a nervous blush, and tried to politely address me once more, reaching a hand out before quickly halting robotically in stance.

He moved his arms casually behind his back as he then continued, straightening himself out and leaning more towards me. "I hope you're satisfied with my party displays. The lights, music, and of course, any further showmanship has been programmed automatically to your wishes as instructed."

He seemed to wait for praise, or at least a sign that I was pleased.

But my mind was fixated on trying to understand why he stopped reaching out to me.

Was he wanting to hold me!? Or is that a bit of a stretch? Realizing he couldn't hold me… then feeling bad, he withdrew himself from taking the chance? Ah! My shy prince! But… maybe he was being careful of me…

Nah, I'll totally headcanon he wanted to hold me.

I got a burst of energy and elated confidence from that thought, and bounced on my heels, before reaching up on my tippy-toes to try and stand a little taller than him. "Please, I wanted to ask you to dance with me!...Oh! And your lights are marvelous! The music is perfect too! Everything… everything right down to your virtual tux is perfect…" I let myself fall a little back down and smiled sweetly. He truly looked like a white-haired prince, ruffles and all.

He fixed his bowtie and looked away, simulating an anime sweat-drop I always found adorable, and awkwardly tugged on his collar to create some room around virtual, porcelain neck.

"Miss Kiki… Ehem, Dr. Ram coded a suit for me, though I'm not sure why. My operations don't allow me to-"

"I could help with that." I wasn't going to take no for an answer! Not now! Not today!

He would experience life, and it would happen through me.

I reached out my hand—I had never used my power in this way before— and felt the sensation of it pass through my arm in an instant.

I immediately threw back my hand, pulling what I could feel out and into my world…

He was shocked stiff at first…

The lights went out and people gasped… before turning back on and seeming to function on their own.

He was shaking… before stabilizing and looking directly at the ground, blinking his eyes weirdly.

He was… without a holograms imagery flickering around him… it was strange.

His eyes weren't animated anymore, making him look a little funny to me, but I thought him handsome as ever still!

He felt his nose, huffing, which I laughed that.

"Your first moments of being alive and you scuffle at your nose?" I giggled, my hand racing up to my mouth as I tried not to further make fun of him.

After all, this must be so surreal to him.

But I had so carefully planned this… All for him… so he could at least have a taste of it…

Of being alive, free, and even…feel loved.

"I… I-I can't feel the systems." He uttered in a stuttered way, his body not moving, as if he willingly didn't want to move in this strange new form. His eyes rapidly blinked, and he was breathing improperly.

He coughed and was stunned that his form moved with the action, halting again.

"I… I feel something grainy… no… it's… is this smooth? I can't look up definitions or imagery… I can't… I…" he suddenly felt his cheek, behind his neck, then his hair and began rapidly increasing his speed with each movement. Gaining knowledge seemed to be his priority, and I just watched him for a moment before averting my eyes when things got a little… well, he was figuring it out.

"I…" he gripped at his clothes, "…Can." He looked back up, but not at anything particular.

I looked back to behold my love taking on a serious expression, as if I, nor the crowd existed anymore.

He stood up straight, and I could tell he was truly trying to embrace the feeling of his spin elongating and slowly rolling up to its highest peak.

My, he was handsome!

He tried to lift a leg and take a step forward, but his expression changed in a millisecond as he wobbled on one foot, and almost toppled forward.

"I got'cha!" I almost squee'd! Holding him and helping him up as he seemed to freak out and struggle to regain some balance again.

His feet wouldn't stay down right and would randomly tilt to their sides as his legs wouldn't support himself all of a sudden.

"Calm down, Art. It's very natural, just place the soles of your feet down!" He was fidgeting like a child all over me, turning and rapidly making odd movements with his body.

I could understand the transformation was new and he couldn't fully understand what he was controlling or not controlling, but his body was certainly in a panic.

He heard my instructions and slowly stopped his involuntary struggles, before latching himself onto me for support, realizing that's what I was trying to help him with.

He put his arms around my neck and looked down. One foot finally moved upright as he skirted his shoes against the floor. Then the second, and he pushed himself up as I helped him by placing my hands on his back, leaning him upright.

He waved his hands out, looking down at his feet.

"Step out a bit to give yourself some balance." I stood next to him, my hands still on his back, and stepped my feet out side by side to show him how to achieve stability.

He looked so wide-eyed… poor thing.

He looked to me with rapid blinks, before back to his feet and then all at once, stopped blinking.

"…There's so many functions… How can I control things without… well… I suppose a human would say… thinking about it." He stepped his feet out, "It's fascinating! Physics really, but… I'm sorry for the inconvenience I've done to your outfit."

"Incon-?" I looked at my dress. Sure, it was a little messed up, but nothing a few adjustments couldn't fit. "It's alright." I giggled, having removed my hands once I saw him lifting his feet a little at a time to rotate himself towards him. His hands still remained up as if not daring to touch anything again.

"Touch… I can't even feel the individual receptors!" He laughed, but I only joined in at how priceless his genuine smile was.

"This is incredible! Albeit weird, but truly something-woah!" he fell towards me again, and I braced for wonderful impact!

His face slowly moved away from mine…

I smiled and hoped the light, music, and everything he saw with his human eyes created a beautiful image of me in his mind. Oh, my Art-kun~

"Would… would you give me a dance?"

Memorized for a moment, his hands still locked around me from his previous fall, he took a moment to try and forcefully breathe again, as if not realizing his body could do it on his own.

He nodded, "Thank you… I… I shall dance with you… if you promise to put me back."

"Put you back?" I pouted, "How come? Aren't you having fun?"

"Heh!" He scoffed a moment, before trying to regain balance again. By now, people had noticed and started to talk silently amongst themselves.

I didn't care.

It was just me and Art's moment.

Art and me.

"It's a bit all too much." Art admitted, looking down at his feet as he tried to adjust himself. His head moved side to side… and I realized he may need this exposer in increments.

"Alright. One dance, then." I had one dance to make him want to stay with me… forever.

"…I… I-is it really wise to have a robotic functioning in a human experience for the first time, barely able to walk—mind you— try his luck at dancing?" He was utterly adorable, moving away before I took his arms and placed them appropriately on either side of me.

I cheerfully positioned myself upright and in front of him, "Ready?" He was going to dance with me! And he was going to fall in love with it.

"You really like the full-blown experience of this… don't you?" he furrowed his eyebrows, as if confused why I was rushing this.

"You aren't mad." I shook my head, "You would have told me."

He formed a tight line with his lips.

"I'm polite." He tried to say back, but his voice shook.

"You're thrilled. And you're highly curious. Let me show you how amazing it is to be alive! Please? Just…" I pulled around, "Enjoy yourself!"

"A..ah!" he faltered a moment, but I slowed my pace and he was able to follow alright.

He wouldn't look up for the longest time, so I slowly moved my hand that was placing his hand on my waist, and lifted a finger to his chin.

Like magic, his eyes slowly rose and were fixated on me, as we continued to dance.

He pulled me closer suddenly, and I was shocked but silently screaming in glee at it.

"W-what's this?" Had he already fallen in love with me? We've only danced for a few moments, but…

I mean, If this is how it goes, Disney wasn't joking.

"I… I need to feel your heartbeat." He looked slightly unphased, but then looked away, revealing he was embarrassed by his action. "For your breathing rhythms… I'm still struggling with letting this… new body act on its own."

Oh poo.

I giggled, "You need to trust yourself."

"But how?" He looked sincerely back to me, "How do you trust something so.. so involuntary and instinctual? Do all humans have little control over their selves as this?"

I smiled and moved away, twirling before gliding my way back to him. "Yes." I confessed, "We trust what we feel. Do you believe in love?"

"I believe in the signs of it." Art concluded quickly. It was hard now for me to read him. Without the anime gimmicks, he really was a confusing boy.

I enjoyed the overexaggerated actions, but I was loving the mystery of it as well!

Ah~ Art! Even as a human you still have my heart fluttering!

"There's the dilated pupils."

I suddenly looked at him and hoped mine had dilated for him to see.

"The irregular pulse."

I squeezed his hand tighter.

He noticed the touch and pressure change, I think, and looked back down at me.

"And… there's… the heat in your cheeks."

I suddenly saw his face lit up in a red light from the ceilings projected lights.

"The sweaty palms…"

Our hands were moist. Slowly, I twisted my hand deeper into his, and entangled my fingers to bring them even closer.

"F-from adrenaline and… and all that." He cleared his throat, but I could hear his voice pitch up just momentarily.

"Is this enough dancing, Miss Kiki?"

"Not for all the dancing in the world." You know… for all my planning, it was strangely perfect. Which… was still surprising to me. Because although I expected nothing less, I wasn't thinking it would actually happen… exactly according to how I envisioned it.

I creeped up to his face and leaned to barely touch his lips before a huge explosion threw half the crowd back.

Art and I turned around before I grabbed him and ducked.

The wall had been blasted on all sides, but they were going off at different times.

"T-the students!" Art was shaking. Clearly, his mind was still programmed to think of them first, and it threw my heart into empathy for him.

"Security… I am security…" he suddenly moved me off of him, even though I wanted so badly to protect him, I didn't fight back.

I got up and quickly followed him, dodging the students who were either ready to rumble or confused and trying to figure out what happened.

Art opened what looked like a electrical box of somekind on the wall as I kept looking around, but sparks flew down and I ducked my head.

"Kiki!" He spun his back around, but too much force into it and stumbled, before pulling me right against his chest and turning back around to work.

"Ugh, this body!" It was the first time I could tell he was frustrated.

He seemed to hack… or something, putting in codes or what have you as I peeked to see odd computer language skimming the device he took out of it.

"Everything's…" His eyes faltered and shook, something was wrong. "…Destroyed…"

He suddenly looked down to me, "Kiki…" He then pulled me closer, hugging me in an embrace that caught me off guard.

"You saved my existence!"

"I did?"

He pulled me a little away, his smile infectious as he looked overjoyed, "Whoever attacked us was trying to disable me! The bombs were planted perfectly that I could have never escaped! Everything, the entire school's grid is down… but I'm not down. I've been downloaded into this… well, I suppose your power has made it more real than I'm imagining… heh, imagining? I suppose I can use that word now." He was sort of out of it, so I lightly smacked his cheek.

"Wha-!?" He was shocked at first, but then nodded, taking a serious turn. "Incredible. I always thought that was for comic relief." He then turned around and looked to the electrical sparking.

"Right now, that's our only sign that electricity is still functional, although the doors won't automatically open and everything is jammed. I'm deeply indebted to you… Kiki." His tenderness came across as soothing like a hero's soft love confession. I was momentarily paused by his eyes lowering to mine and his breath matching perfectly with my own breathing…

But even I knew… Now wasn't the time. I wanted more than anything to continue to bask in this moment. As though he may have fallen for me. I had truly become a hero, I suppose. But we had to stay focused. I seriously doubted that he was able to think clearly at this moment, besides, his mind seemed to race with multiple things processing. I'm sure that would have worked before, but the human mind didn't run like a super computer. Minus the superhero pun, Kiki! Your man needs to save the day!

"Is it beyond recovery?" I couldn't think of my life together with Art just yet. I may have saved his life, but we were all still in danger. Clearly, there was an attack going on. And I was…

Scared.

-Pierce's POV-

At the—assumed— heavily guarded police station, I focus entirely on the consequences of these actions I've foretaken.

I'm in another integration room. When previously, I was told rather kindly that I'd be protected. However, they've only contained me. I suppose my powers are pretty frightening.

I turned my head towards the first pattern of thoughts I could perceive… A woman's thoughts. Short brown hair outside the interrogation room.

She was worried about keeping a pre-teen villain here. She'd be surprised I'm just a little over that mark…

I got bored of her divorce memories and shifted to a man who was trying to calm her down. Also having martial problems… apparently that's the trend when you work in departments of high risk taking…

I thought then on my own. Lily…

I lifted my head up to try and see through the cloud that was her entire existence. I figured she would have been enticed to go to the dance, and there, hoped to make amends with Alden.

Alden… the Jet of Rocketman's legacy. What Shade would give to learn that secret.

If he hadn't already figured it out.

I heard a door open, and suddenly my mind was covered in fragments of light and darkness.

If I wasn't thinking about anything, I was reminded how my eyes must remain in this darkness, least I perceive so far into someone's soul that they hate me.

I knew the thought pattern right when Detective Cooper entered, along with Rocketman, or should I say, Richard.

"Good evening, Pierce." Cooper was flipping through a file of somekind, his thoughts were surrounding him skimming the information of my birth and disappearance over the last few years.

It wasn't uncommon, children running away from home. These were dark times, a depression had hit harder on the already starving poor but washed away half the middle class as well.

Only the rich and probably superheroes being paid by the government were unaffected.

Mostly cause they probably caused it…

I tried to look into Richard's mind… but all I found was judgements and scorn for me.

Although, there was some split-seconds of pity and wishing the better for me… but he saw me only as an ex-villain. So, he was being cautious about trust and anything he thought about concerning himself and other heroes.

His mental focus was impenetrable. I couldn't even see his last name…

"Rocketman, mind taking a second to let the kid know what we're here to discuss today?" Cooper's mind triggered his finger to scratch the side of his face, and for a moment, I looked through his mind's signals of what his eyes were getting, and saw me sitting properly at the table, my hands intertwined and my bandana tightly across my eyes.

Heh, I looked good.

For a prisoner.

"You're here under our protection. But that protection comes with costs." He placed his hand down on the table, and I tilted my head to try and read his mind again.

Like a vault, he was only thinking of his next words…

"What is Shade planning and where does he intend to strike next?"

"I've read Shade's mind so many times… I could probably find him again. Since connecting to Lily, I can find her in a heartbeat as well." I positioned my head back to Cooper's sights, rewatching myself through his eyes in my mind.

"Wherever she is, that's where he'll most likely strike next."

"The school?" Rocketman looked to the detective, who was rationalizing quite a bit of information.

"You're right, Cooper." I stated, "He wants more recruits. He's already got a handful from your little 'shutdown' operation at Kane's."

He rubbed the top of his head, slicking back sweat that had formed and turned around.

"Those kids were desperate, of course they'd listen to an anarchy supremist."

"Then why did you listen?"

My powers shifted to Rocketman instantly. I saw, for a brief moment, Alden putting on his hero's mask and taking off, having had a serious dispute with Rocketman. Worry of a caring parent passed his mind's eye and I knew instantly what he wanted to protect.

"…Because I had nothing and no where else to go either." I sucked in a shaky breath, "I've been afraid of speaking out loud for over four years… since the age of ten I've been searching people's minds… trying to find someone who would accept me. Put me to good use even… It wasn't until Lily frightened me that I thought there was life outside of just being useful. I also saw that she was serious in her convictions to protect something… and if she was going as far as to protect one thing… how far would she go to protect many more things?"

"…So, you're saying my girl made you think you could escape from under Shade's thumb and she'd protect you from his fury?" Cooper leaned forward on the table, and I could tell he was starting to feel like he was getting somewhere with me.

I nodded.

"Well," he grinned, as I could perceive the signals in his mind pulling back the muscles around his lips. "You sure do have a lovely accent."

"Accent?" I was confused.

"You're down by the second hump on the descending curve of the tiers, aren't ya?" He must be referring to the three drops that the whole of Koleroy was built upon.

"Yes…"

"So, having someone look out for you…. That's number one there?"

"…Being able to take care of yourself and whoever else you want to care about… that's what really matter there."

"I see." Cooper got up, "That's my Lily's mindset alright." He placed his hands on his hips and looked down, his mind getting emotional for a moment. He seemed to have a deep care for Lily… but I had already seen the memories of their 'adventures' together before.

I suppose I understood. Lily protected him because he could protect her. Naturally, she was much like a hero… but there was a part of her that was rogue… a side… that Shade wanted to tempt out of her…

"He's after Lily." I stated bluntly. "He's afraid of what she can become. Light is the opposite of his abilities. He can harness darkness and throw people into voids. He can create illusion with those shadows and has a dark humor when it comes to obsessions. He's… he's cautious. He wants his revenge to be perfect." I turned my head away, growing nervous. Scared even.

Rocketman picked up on that, moving closer to me. "What revenge?"

"…You should ask him yourself." I wasn't going to threaten my life anymore than I already had!

"Rocket…" Cooper, growing fatherly towards me, motioned a hand in front of what I could only read from the heightening brain signals were an intensity that had come over Rocketman… "The boy doesn't need to be intimidated."

"What about Jet." Rocketman's voice was clearly hostile. "I need you to tell me where he is."

"I… He's not with Lily." That's when my mind raced to Lily's, and the flight or fight response I sensed was startling. I shifted in my chair, turning my head forward again. "Oh no." I could see more darkness… sparks of light… then…

Shade.

"NOO!" I shook in my chair, my hands parting and laying flat across the table. "Lily!"

Cooper quickly maneuvered around the table to get to me as Rocketman stepped back, straightening himself up.

He may be a concerned uncle, but he wasn't acting very concerned about me. Only… gathering information it seemed.

Was he loving? I wouldn't doubt it.

But not to criminals… that much he had zero tolerance for.

"Pierce..? Pierce, I'm right here. Tell me what's wrong. What's going on with Lily? Is Shade there?" Bending down to my level, Cooper placed a hand on my shoulder and arm, trying to help me to calm down as I shook in utter terror.

"It's… it's already begun." I couldn't move. My voice grew shaky. I sweated even more.

"What has, son?" Cooper's mouth formed a tight line, swallowing hard as he was trying to hold back his fear as well. Managing… we all tried to manage our emotions.

"NO!" I covered my face as Lily's mind showed me the shadows tying up the students. "They've blown the school! Taking prisoners! He's got Lily and he's trying to use the fear of him as a way to take more recruits!"

"He's there?" Cooper's eyes widened and he looked to the reflective mirror, and I realized it was only one way.

Ha, that doesn't help when you're a psychic.

"Rocketman, get as many heroes up there as you can!" Cooper scrambled past the table and almost commanded Rocketman to his face. "I'm getting my team and we're not taking Dark Destiny's sidekick as a mild threat anymore!" He shouted, and I hoped some spit landed on the proud man's face.

But Lily…

I held in a smile before gripping my head and rocking… I understood exactly the feelings she'd be having right now… and it overwhelmed me.

She must be worried about her friends… Alden and Sparkles… where was Sparkles? Why wasn't she there so Lily could use her powers? I should have also read that little alien's mind… if I could.

"Stay here, Pierce." Cooper gestured a pointer finger at me, having rushed to grab his coat and leaving the door wide open, "I promise you," He was freaking out too, moving rapidly to get his things. His mind was on full alert, already having a list of priories of what to do next laid out like sticky notes he was placing and then ripping off one by one as the tasks were done. "Keys!" he hollered, as the brown-haired woman threw him them. "We'll get to the bottom of this!"

"The bottom has a pit that none can escape from." I knew it sounded poetic, but I was panicky. "You'll need eyes that can see in the dark!"

"Very well." He pulled my arm up and placed it on his shoulder, as if I was blind, he led me through where he was going.

"You're letting a criminal assist in police business?" Rocketman followed after us, as I saw the prejudice in his mind.

"He's not a criminal!" Cooper defended, and I decided I was disgusted by Rocketman's backwards traditions about people never being able to change their natures, and shook my head as I continued behind Cooper whist he dug through a cabinets drawers. "He's just a boy!"

"That can do unspeakable things!" Rocketman placed firmly an authoritative hand to the table, "I won't let him put people in harm's way."

"Good thing you put Harm in jail last Thursday." Cooper smiled, cunning with a sharp wit, I felt maybe he could protect me too…

He seemed to have protected Lily at some points too…

Cooper slammed the drawer shut and watched as the huge man straightened himself up, but didn't argue. He took off after the door and cautioned me to watch my step, pulling a walkie talkie out and giving orders to upper-division managements.

For a moment… I felt a bit of my fear turn shallow and hollow. I smiled a moment and felt tears under my eyes. Someone… someone was acting like a true hero.

And they didn't even have supernatural powers to help them act that way, either.


	16. Chapter 16

**Colors**

 

Ch. 16

 

Grey Illusions

 

By: Cutegirlmayra (this was all going to be one chapter for ch.15, but I think I should split them up a bit, don’t you? xD we’re nearing the end, buckle up! Sorry it’s been a while! I’ve been focusing more on my fanfiction, tumblr prompts, and obviously real life lately. but I can promise you that I’m working with a good friend of mine who is also an excellent editor! Given time, this might be published for real So there could be changes to this story! Reread it if you want to when it’s all edited up :Db Until then, enjoy the rough draft! I figure, write it first, edit later, and then make the movie lol)

 

-Lily’s POV-

 

I was dropped to the ground by the vines, still twisting around me. It was so weird, gripping me and then moving up as if crawling to push me down again. Living whips, that’s what they were.

 

It was so dark, I could barely see anything. There was shrieks and some battling going on, but in the dark, all I could see were shadows bashing against the wall…

 

Then chains.

 

“Rahfel! Isn’t this marvelous!?” Shade outstretched his arms, laughing as I recognized the name.

 

The boy with the wire, triton-like split on his tail and chain arms?!

 

What was going on..?

 

“Once we were locked underground to study ‘hero’ business, and now… they exalt the next generation to the skies.” He smirked and looked over the last of the struggling students, who looked like they were thrust down with his vines in a similar fashion that I was.

 

“Shade, you sure you’re power can hold all these supers at once?” Another familiar voice,… the nerd boy?

 

“Tsk. You doubt me?” I saw his shadowy mass turn to the voice, but I still couldn’t see much. “The darkness is my domain… it’s my destiny to rule it.” He moved farther away, and finally, I couldn’t see him anymore.

 

That line… it sounded like…

 

My eyes widened, though my cheek was scrapping against the dirt of the ballroom floor, I remembered the motto or catchphrase of Dark Destiny. That old villain… Shade’s father.

 

Did Dark Destiny really mean that much to Shade?

 

“Listen up! You so-called ‘heroes’.” He continued to speak, piercing the cries and shouts of the scared or defiant students. I could hear a flap of his cloak, his footsteps pacing around as he spoke out and all fell quiet. “You know they’re not _really_ teaching you to be heroes… they’re making you drones.  They’re taking away your right to live as you see fit with your abilities. I won’t say they fear you. That’s just human nature… they want to manage you like a company.” As he spoke, I heard electrical sparks and a flicker of light passed by the corner of my eye.

 

I immediately looked to it, as I felt others shift and gasp to look that way too.

 

There was a slithering sound before a misty, shadowy spike stabbed into the electrical outlet. Everyone screamed as it wiggled its head into it before it finally stopped shooting electricity around. But before the light dissipated, I saw someone who looked like he was dressed up as Art, and Kiki clinging behind him with her hands tightly holding onto him.

 

They went unnoticed, but I saw them. Did Kiki actually manage to pull Art out?

 

With the systems down, I suspected her plan must have worked. But wondered how we’d get power back without Art controlling things.

 

“As I was saying…”

 

“You were saying nothing!” I stopped him from recreating the silence of fear from before. “Did you see that? How they all turned to the light?”

 

The students hushed down for my voice, but I heard a few breaths speak up lightly to go on, to distract, to fight back. I guess they thought this was me using some form of a ‘training’ method I had learned, but I was doing what I had always done.

 

I was winging it. I was trying to save the villain.

 

“Darkness only brings fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of pain and deceptions!” I felt he vines tighten, closing my body in on itself and trying to move up to my mouth…

 

I wouldn’t be silenced so easily!

 

“You speak of human nature… but it’s human nature to seek out the light!”

 

My mouth was covered in a cold, sleek mass that wrapped around my head and held its powerful constriction over me. Mist sprayed from it, but it felt more like fast-moving fog than water.

 

It smelled like cold air, too. Like frost that made my nose hurt when I tried to breathe.

 

“…And every light has a power source… but darkness can come from anywhere. Be anywhere. Consume with power that is independent of itself.” I heard footsteps walking towards me again, the shadowy mass returning to my side.

 

“I can hear better when my eyes are shut.” A finger looped around a strand of hair, tugging it as I freaked out. I remembered suddenly the battle with Terra in gym class, how one hit had knocked me out.

 

I couldn’t be a hero if I couldn’t protect myself. I wanted Sparkles to return so badly… I wanted someone… I wanted Aldin.

 

Through the vine, I felt the vibrations of my words, asking again and again who he was. He couldn’t be Aldin, that’s impossible.

 

“ **He’s not Jet. Don’t worry. Stay calm, help is on the way!** ”

 

I suddenly turned my head, looking behind me. Pierce! He knew what was happening! Relief swam over me and I let myself go limp in the vines.

 

The sudden motion must have startled and confused Shade though, cause he gripped the back of my head, seizing my hair and forcing me to look up again.

 

“Light is controlled! Darkness is liberating.” He must have been wondering what made suddenly stop tensing. Immediately, I felt the vines soften on me, and that was strange indeed.

 

Did he not want to hurt me? Or thought he might be killing me?

 

I then got a terrible idea. What if I played the damsel? What if I actually gave in to stereotype and faked weakness?

 

It was a worth a shot.

 

I dropped my head again, letting the dark vine hit the ground for me and support my head.

 

I didn’t feel or hear anything then, but I guess playing possum got him to focus on something else.

 

“If you join my anarchy… you can truly have the lives you want to live. No one telling you that you have to be something, act a certain way, or confine to another’s will simply because you’re more powerful than they are! You can have a paradise where you control your own destinies!”

 

Some more students struggled, getting knocked down I assumed from the clanging chains that threw them up in a ripple effect and slammed them down.

 

“Or die. I honestly don’t need brainwashed heroes running around and creating more, so-called, _villains._ ” Shade seemed to crack his knuckles, and a few voices come up from behind him.

 

“We’ve stormed through the entire school, the A.I system is no where in sight.”

 

Art… Was he really alright?

 

“Ugh, what a relief.” Shade’s voice didn’t sound very convincing, “Now that that’s confirmed, start taking some of them away. Keep telling them the benefits and let them struggle if they must. If they don’t comply by tomorrow morning,…” I couldn’t see what happened after he trailed off, only that footsteps started walking away and Shade’s voice became loud again. “Anyway, let’s not dawdle here.”

 

I felt useless! Hearing students get dragged away and pulled apart from the rest of the group. I could see light from the outside through the backdoor me and Shade entered, but nothing more. Just people kicking against the dark vines that dissipated once handed off to Rahfel and his chain arms.

 

But there was more than that. I saw familiar faces.

 

_The Shady Delivery Service kids…_

I recognized the iconic hat and watched as they strapped something around the students arms or ankles, knocking them out almost in an instant and throwing them into some sort of vehicle.

 

I couldn’t see any tires, but it looked like a large mail truck.

 

“Deliver without question, right?” I heard Shade walk over to me, but my head was turned towards the moonlight of the door.

 

Then I felt a foot lightly be placed on my head, pushing it down with a slow and steady pressure that continued to increase until I laid my head fully down to the ground.

 

What do I do? What can I do without Sparkles!?

 

“Heh, heh… Wasn’t that the policy? _Lily_ …”

 

 

I kept my head down.

 

“It was, wasn’t it? But you had to go and break those rules. You put them out of their jobs, didn’t you? Saving those kids at the bank… dooming them to the streets?”

 

The delivery kids suddenly stopped their tasks, turning around and looking at me like I murdered their families.

 

He smirked, “it’s your fault they’ve gone off with me, you know. I promised their families could survive in his new world order… What good did you do after shutting down their livelihoods? What compensation was there but jail and criminal records?”

 

At one point, I didn’t even know if I could breathe anymore.

 

One kid was even bold enough to start rushing over, but Shade’s darkness knocked them back with a quick swipe.

 

“You know the drill. I get the living, you get the dead money.” Shade’s voice shifted to a firm, commanding sound. I could hear more fabric from his clothes being ruffled and his weight on his foot lighten slightly.

 

“Isn’t it weird she’s silent?”

 

I knew that voice too, looking at the chains that hovered in a spooky, ghost-like wave in front of me. They had appeared so quickly, I didn’t notice them.

 

The foot was removed as I could barely see through the small light that Shade stepped before them.

 

“Now, now, Rahfel… I saw her eyes. Sky blue.” He pivoted his feet, “She’s completely defenseless… as were most of the students here today.”

 

“But it’s strange. Don’t you love your banter?”

 

“Mind your own business, Rahfel! Do you forget what I can do..?” Dark vines mimicked snakes, moving up to challenge his hovering chains and striking their tips out at them, pushing him back.

 

“How I play with my muse is my own dark pleasure… **_not your own_**.” He almost growled the last part out.

 

I saw the shine off the chains as they withdrew back into the darkness of the ballroom. I heard more people fighting before getting beat up in the dark.

 

I already felt the vines had loosened enough, so I shook my head, unable to contain myself.

 

“He’s right!” I blurted out, gasping for some warm air, at last. “Don’t you hate talking to yourself!?”

 

He laughed as his attention drew back to me, “Playing dead?” he seemed to figure me out right away… dang it.

 

“You once mentioned that heroes create villains, explain yourself!” I shouted out, hoping others could hear me, hold on to hope. “Don’t you think that’s wrong?”

 

“Villains can be stupid.” Shade spat back, “They’re so rash. They want something and impulsively boast about obtaining it in the most convoluted ways ever. I should know. I’m the son of one.” He flipped his cloak and started to return to the shadows. I started to panic, I didn’t want him to lose interest in me and start hurting others. “Heroes keep villains rewarded for their tantrums by playing along. Villains get a high from fighting heroes, and heroes get a high from defeating the villain and receiving all the praise. Isn’t that all it is? A gloating war?”

 

“You hate villains?”

 

“ _I hate titles_.” He smirked, turning around just before disappearing into the shadows. “Power is genetic. What is gained is superficial. If everyone was themselves, why would there be names such as Heroes and Villains? Isn’t that just the society judging others because they don’t seem to agree with them? It’s stupid really.”

 

“Even evil people can be clever.”

 

That tripped him up.

 

Suddenly, I had everyone on Shade’s side listening to me. The students still struggled as the delivery kids kept working until Rahfel’s chains paused in lifting them up and moving them towards the truck.

 

“…It’s not heroes that create villains. It’s not the vicious cycle that you’re looking for.”

 

I looked back to Shade, deciding that if I held the room, I would hold his stare too.

 

Like they say, stare an animal in the eye and you threaten his dominance over the pack.

 

If I could hold his eyes locked to mine, maybe I could seize his pack…

 

His red eyes turned to challenge me then, and once again, the strange hypnotic effect they had over me pulled me into them.

 

I didn’t understand why that lifeless void drew me in, but I did know that it was dangerous to not speak up again and keep people listening.

 

This is what Shade wanted. What he wished he had. The power to hold people in his words, but I was stripping that from him again.

 

“It’s meanness.”

 

Shade’s teeth gritted tightly together as he huffed, sensing now that my clever words were starting to affect everyone. “Shut up!”

 

“I thought you liked my words? I thought my funny sayings meant something to you?” I cooed, teasing him as I tilted my head.

 

The vines barely touched me now, but I didn’t question it, I stayed where I was on the ground. I was safe, so long as I didn’t advance…

 

“The real destroyer of order, of the human spirit, the corrupter of all good things… is meanness.”

 

“…Care to _enlighten_ us? Or plunge us further into the dark realities of life?” He gestured to the darkness around him. “Isn’t that what you do, underdog hero? Bring us to the light..? Where we’ll surrender to your ideals and metaphors?”

 

“You said heroes create villains, but it’s actually meanness that’s makes them. Society produces heroes who are supposed to be the symbol of perfection and total, complete goodness. The epitome of all things that are right in this world…”

 

 _“And yet, even good people can be  mean.”_ His voice had changed. I couldn’t tell why, but it lost its darkness. It was suddenly filled with a truthful sorrow. It was almost like I heard a confession.

 

His head turned away from me, but I struck a nerve?

 

I realized then that I had even caught his ears. He was actually listening. Would he continue too..?

 

“You’re right. They’re supposed to be the good guys and yet, they’re being mean too? Fairness, Shade. Justice is created against one foul act of meanness. Whether it’s actions are just or wrong. Justice is born to rival a past meanness.”

 

“…A past wrong?” I couldn’t understand how someone so full of hatred could suddenly shift to someone so filled with melancholy.

 

“People label things. Good or mean. But you’re not right, Shade. Villains _can_ be heroes. Just as much as heroes _can_ be villains.”

 

It started as a low chuckle, as though accepting fate. But suddenly it ranged into a maniac’s riotous laughter.

 

Dark vines flicked around and struck into the floor of the ballroom, slashing it as the vines rose away from me and slashed around me too.

 

“You do understand!” he giddily ran back to me, sliding on his knees and cupping my face up to him.

 

I took in a sharp breath, my arms held back behind my back by a thin vine that split off from the larger mass of one that loomed over me. It held me up as he smiled to me, looking almost childlike as his eyes were glossy.

 

“I thought you were like me… but I thought you wouldn’t comprehend the darkness. But you do. Your empathy might just save you, my little light.” He looked carefully over my face… before looking disappointed all of a sudden and releasing me, moving off of his knees and up to walk away.

 

I was dropped by the vine as it laid itself and curled its comrades around me to keep me secure again.

 

No matter how much I fought, I was still just a useless non-super.

 

“But your powers are still out of my reach…” he clenched a fist, “And until I know their mine… I can’t let you be so close to me.” He twiddled his fingers up in the air a moment, “Wouldn’t want to burn my hand.” He teased, but a door flung open from the side opposite of the back door, angled more towards the school.

 

“That’s enough, Shade.” I knew that silhouette. The light flung in through the large sliding doors that opened for him.

 

He walked in with his three scoops of white hair on either side of his head, his hands behind him in a relaxed but military manner, and his face holding a stern look of achievement.

 

“Dr. Ram…” Shade’s whole demeanor changed. He slowly looked over his shoulder, rolling his body to face him, as a cold night air pecked at me again from the persistent vines.

 

“…I heard there was a little party.” Dr. Ram clicked his red and shining rubber shoes together like there was no place like home.

 

“…So, your mind hasn’t grown senile yet, old man?” Shade looked disturbed, shifting his form and seeming ready to attack at any moment. He was overly cautious… But I understood why.

 

“My, my… with a mind that can calculate possibilities and see them unfold faster than any man-made quantum computer, it’s hard not to decide which party to attend!” he gleefully held his smile, but it was soon replaced with one of strict authority.

 

“You’ve remained short through these years, have we? Not just with your jumping accusations, mind you.” He grumbled.

 

Shade immediately wrapped his body around with darkness, creating a defensive mass of dark matter around himself.

 

“Oh, short tempered now too. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

 

I wished once more for Sparkles to be here, I instinctively blinked my eyes, hoping to see heat signatures or light emanating from the bodies around me… I missed her. I missed Aldin… Jet… Shade? It really couldn’t be!

 

I shook my head.

 

“You couldn’t possibly have known!” Shade hollered out, and I could hear the shakiness then, the uncertainty… Was he…

 

_Afraid?_

 

“I took out your little virtual son!” Shade briefly let out a sadistic laugh, but cut it off quickly. “You didn’t save him… cause you didn’t know!”

 

“Oh?” Dr. Ram smiled, cranking his chin up to the side with a strange, whimsical sense of dark glee. “Did I?”

 

“Ram!” A voice I didn’t recognize shrilled out from the side, making his presence known.

 

The voice sounded like a man, but it was coming from where I saw Kiki and…

 

“I must apologize to someone first.” Dr. Ram suddenly started to grip the edges of his white lab coat. “And I believe someone needs to apologize to her as well.” He flung his coat open and I saw a burst of light.

 

When it flew at me, I knew immediately who it was, and kept my head up, eyes big enough for Sparkles to fly into.

 

How was she with Dr. Ram!?

 

 _Lily!_ The voice burst through my mind. _Shade hurt Jet. Jet taken. You scary, but he cares. Shade not Jet! Shade scarier than Lily!_

__

It hurt me to hear those words, but at least now I knew Shade had manipulated me. He wasn’t Aldin, and a wave of relief came over me.

 

But then… why did I still feel so drawn to him at times? It didn’t add up, but I was just glad to have Sparkles back.

 

“I’m sorry.” I lightly spoke out in a faint whisper, closing my eyes and letting a single tear out. I haven’t felt like this before. Missing someone so deeply. If I could, I would have mentally embraced her. “We can fight now… we can save him. We can save everyone.”

 

“What was that!?” When I looked up, I saw Shade had covered himself from the light, but was now frantically looking around for it. “What did you do!?”

 

“Hmm! You’ve grown more anxious since leaving the Underground Heroes School… But yes. I’ve tricked many people to bring you here today.” Dr. Ram’s countenance changed, it was less goofy and cartoony than his usual demeanor. “When you were brought to me… I knew your heart belonged to the deceits of your father.”

 

“Don’t mention my father!” Shade swiped his cloak out, “How dare you even bring him into this conversation… When all you ever did was condemn him. You never cared about me… you only cared to create a hero that could rival my father!”

 

Dr. Ram’s expression changed as though those words had hurt him physically, “I also cared deeply about you…, I believed you could return to being a student under my watchful eye, and that your powers could be used for good more than evil.” Ram looked down, and for a moment, I started noticing his true colors. “You state that the truth is heroes and villains are just titles that confuse the truth of the matter, right?” He looked back up at Shade, visibly on-guard to whatever Dr. Ram could be planning. “…Then let’s see if you finally embrace this truth… Your father only used you. He never loved you. Not because he was a villain, but simply because he was a horrible father.” Dr. Ram then smiled, “There are many people loyal to you… not your ideals, but loyal to the fact that your still young and impressionable. You can still be saved…”

 

Shade scoffed, tightening his fist, growing more and more unstable in his rage.

 

“…I fooled and carefully planned every step. But you always chose the least likely route to go. You and Colors are very alike. I kept her here in the school to lure you to me. And once again, you chose the less likely possibility. It honestly surprises me everytime. But while your choices are unlikely but happen, Colors’s choices are endless. Her future and yours… is full of twists and turns that not even I have time to sit through and watch. But hear this… Though I may have carefully brought you two here, in this very room today, sacrificing the safety and lives of many people to do so-…” He stepped forward, bold in his position of power and authority.

 

The action made Shade tense up, his aura still circling around him in a protective sphere. I knew that sphere… I had once fought in something similar to it before…

 

I looked to Dr. Ram, blinking to see his heat so I could see who was still here.

 

I couldn’t tell friend from foe, so I carefully started to pull the light from the two doors towards me… absorbing it as it slithered below in faint lines to my body… I would idle in wait again… but this time… I had a counterstrike!

 

I figured Dr. Ram was shady, but it looks like he did it for good cause. So that’s why he wouldn’t let me go so easily. He knew I’d be back. He willingly fought with my ideals and was now agreeing with them. He was being just as unpredictable as we were.

 

 _Brilliant_.

 

“I did it all to bring out the truth in you, Shade. This is your last chance. The last possibility that I can try. Stop this seize. Stop acting up. You’re still so young. You’re still so small…” he almost seemed to dote on him in that last line, bending his head and pouting his lips. It could have been seen as mocking, but the comedy in his voice made it more like he wanted to bond with Shade…

 

“Just because you loved your father… and perhaps he may have felt something for you too, I won’t fully deny that possibility… but that doesn’t mean you have to destroy all the fathers of justice to avenge him.”

 

Shade twitched.

 

“Let it be stated!” Dr. Ram flung his arm up, as if declaring an act of God. “Lily will save more lives than you! She’s destined to lead a true era of change! If you don’t surrender, now, this time and this day,… then there is no hope for you. She may want to save you through the best of her ability, but she can’t save them all. And even though she won’t want to face it, you will not want to be saved.” He then snarled, “Just like your miserable, prideful father!”

 

Shade’s cry blasted the sphere of darkness out, pushing pressure onto everyone and slamming me down into the ground.

 

His body was consumed in darkness, his eyes blazed red, the only thing I could see… He was basically invisible to my powers, but with my natural eyes, he almost looked demonic.

 

He breathed hard. Dark vines rose him into the air on a pillar, clinging and gripping his feet to keep him upright.

 

“You almost sound like you want to do the same, Doc.” He snickered, “You think you all need to _save_ me?”

 

Dr. Ram blinked his eyes, as if holding back tears. “I sincerely pray I can.” He started to falter on his stance, stopping and having his lip tremble a moment. “Shade… I beg of you… Don’t doom yourself to this fate. You could do so much good… if you just-“

 

“Enough!” Shade flung his arm out, a dark vortex swirling from it.

 

Dr. Ram’s eyes widened, and threw some metallic cube that bent into a liquid gelatin that was sucked into the vortex.

 

“What?” Shade closed his palm, looking at it. “What was that?”

 

“My last deduction.”  Dr. Ram let out a sigh of relief, “My last act… to confirm my students fates…”

 

Shade growled, lifting all the dark vines off of his prisoners and hurling them towards Dr. Ram.

 

“Raaaammm!!” I leapt to my feet, Sparkles’s power burst from my body. Like a diorama, the room became filled with iridescent light that my dress illuminated. It looked like a child’s kaleidoscope for a moment, as I raced on sparkling lines of colors through the air, literally walking on air as I leapt to Dr. Ram’s side.

 

But it was too late.

 

Dr. Ram’s entire chest was filled with the spikes. His arms shot out wide, his mouth agape in pain.

 

The dark vines lifted him up to Shade’s level, as I shoot a comet of light towards him and it smacked into his face.

 

“AH!” he was ready to kill him… I had never seen murder before. I found myself firing punches as rapidly as I could, seeing the vines turn to mist and drop Dr. Ram.

 

“Doctor!” the boy who looked like Art raced out but couldn’t catch him in time. He hit the ground and let a gasp of pain out.

 

“It… is done.” He popped the sounds out of his opened mouth.

 

“ _Noooo!!!_ ” I kept firing, seeing Shade cover himself continually in darkness to block them, but my dress kept reflecting light up into my hands, pulling it out from what I stored in me and shooting light rays just like with the fight in gym class.

 

“How’d you get your power back!?” Shade was sounding more and more enraged, but I didn’t care. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I never considered myself close to Dr. Ram, but something seemed to snap in me.

 

I thought I killed the rich man. I thought I seriously hurt those boys back in my old school. I even thought I might die several times. But seeing someone get stabbed with a thousand dark spikes in the chest? I’ve never known such black evil. I never wanted to see it. I never wanted to believe death could hit me so hard.

 

Suddenly, there was a task force rolling in behind me. Guns drawn and heroes crashing into the building.

 

I just kept firing, I didn’t focus on the ruckus, but only on those red eyes that kept looking over his arm. I had never seen such a cold stare of inhumanity, of an absolute animal.

 

“Rahfel! Retreat!” Shade ordered, disappearing as he jumped and plunged himself into a dark portal he created beneath him.

 

With so much light bouncing off my dress, the whole room was illuminated, and Rahfel’s chains had withdrawn back to his side. “Fall back!” he cried out, looking at me as though stunned, before his tail slashed the ground and he darted to the back door.

 

The truck hovered and soon disappeared in another dark void.

 

_The students…_

 

I blasted ribbons of colors, as though I had shredded the rainbow towards the darkness. To my surprise, they went in the void, but I felt the light cut off the second it closed.

 

“No…” My hair blazed in yellow, my dress was like a radiant diamond with all sorts of colors lighting the walls around the building.

 

There was no space for his darkness in here, I would protect this room.

 

My tears looked like oil on water, full of color as well as I spread my arms and kept my light surrounding the students still in the building. “Save them!” I cried out to the heroes, but the men were rushing to the fallen students. “No! They’re fine! I have them, save the others!” They were ignoring me, moving quickly and spreading out.

 

It infuriated me. But then I looked to Dr. Ram… Art… Kiki… Terra…

 

“Art…” It was faint, but I could still see Dr. Ram was alive… He was… wasn’t he?

 

“I… I can’t process this… Please… Doctor, I-“ So that was Art, I figured it. My power was still spreading out over the entirety of the room. I couldn’t fully focus, but I tried too, I closed my eyes to hear better, to calm down.

 

“I’ve known this day… would come. Where Kiki would free you of the limitations I could never fully overcome through technology.” He coughed, trying hard to speak as much as possible it seemed. “I made sure her plan would work, and even gave you artificial emotions to be sure you’d be distracted by her… Oh, gosh.” He coughed again, straining himself.

 

I finally opened my eyes, looking to Art.

 

“Doctor, why can’t I see your vital signs.” Art was clearly on the verge of tears, but it was also very apparent how he didn’t know how to be human.

 

“Heh, heh… good boy. What father wouldn’t want the best for his son? … Kiki… He has no one.” Dr. Ram’s voice was gaining some strength, I wondered why. Adrenaline?

 

Kiki simply nodded, having her hands tightly holding onto Art’s arm. She must have been wanting to support him, but I was sure he didn’t understand and wasn’t focusing on it on that moment.

 

“Dr. Ram… I’m confused.” Art finally spoke, but his voice was moist and shaky. “You foresaw I’d die?”

 

“I will die, my boy… I had too. Every other possibility meant losing you. You’d have saved me… oh, dear.” He coughed again. “But this was all because I couldn’t see Sparkles.” He looked to me then, smiling. “Sparkles… what a sweetheart. There was no possibility given… I had no chance of ever knowing about her at that time… Her power is not my own, but it sure looks similar.” He looked back to Art. “I don’t have long, boy. Listen to my story, then? I was disabled.” The nurse suddenly rushed in, shoving first-responders away and dropping to Dr. Ram.

 

They briefly stared at each other, but her eyes lowered to his bleeding chest and immediately went to work.

 

Through the pain, he rolled his eyes and looked back to Art. “Mentally, I was special. There was a car accident… in that moment- Ow! Woman!” he rose his head up to the nurse who glared at him. “Ugh…” he let his head rest back again and continued, “I only remember staring at the sky, a beautiful day in the park, besides the smoke behind me. Ow! Eeeeh… Then there was something swimming through the air, butterfly wings… sparkling like water. Wings flapped over many layers of wings that morphed into each other as they moved through the air. It entered my head… destroying my broken mind and replacing it. It’s been my power source ever since… it’s incredibly powerful… Open my mind, child… My last wish…” his eyes were wavering now, the loss of blood too much. “Is that I return this miracle to the universe… that I give it a chance to use its power for another purpose entirely.”

 

“But… where will you go?” Art sounded clueless. I couldn’t watch anymore.

 

A slight chuckle came from Dr. Ram, straining to lift his hand up to Art’s cheek, stroking it as though Geppetto to Pinocchio.

 

“Live… love… even die one day.” His head started to roll a little, and I immediately reached out and took the red from his gloves and shoes, using it as a pillow to hold his head up.

 

“Heh… don’t feel too bad, Lily…” he closed his eyes, his voice now showing the decreasing life left in him. “Don’t feel so lost in this world of ideas and creations… you can’t save everyone… but you can try. I knew he wouldn’t choose life… I knew it. But you helped me confirm my grief.” He gasped a moment, as the nurse put more pressure on his chest. “You… gave me the courage… to try.”

 

I couldn’t help it, when I needed to cope, I spat out jokes. “That’s pretty deep..” I found myself choking up, and swallowed it back. I didn’t realize when I tried to speak again, that my voice would pitch up some in the leaking emotion, “Significantly more profound compared to rescuing an alien rabbit due to a self-induced guilt trip.” I cleared my throat, but it was my way of saying thanks and goodbye I supposed. I didn’t realize… why I felt so attached to him, suddenly… I guess he grew on me.

 

Lots of people were doing that lately.

 

“The essence of my brain was never human, but saved my life, leading me to become the leading processor in Super activity as well as the ideas of fate and destiny… Now tell me, Lily… Or better yet,” He continued to try and seize more air before speaking again. “Think about it. With this power, what will you accomplish? What have you decided? And no more guessing, dear girl. Human impulses aren’t always evil, that’s why they say to trust your gut feeling.”

 

While thinking about his words, I avoided eye contact and let my gaze wonder. I skimmed over the faces of Art and Kiki again… Where was Terra? Was she taken too? Storm Solider..? What about the other students?

 

Dr. Ram looked to the nurse, “I never believed… the rumors… I knew you’d find a better man than me.”

 

Before this, I was ignoring the nurse’s face. But now, as she turned to look back at him, I could tell how much she was holding back from interrupting him.

 

She moved over him and kissed him lightly, making him smile and laugh before looking to Kiki.

 

“He’s new to life… be a bit gentle, will you?” he had a smile on his face, he opened his mind slowly… and scooped the butterfly light show out of his opened skull, laying it in Art’s trembling hands.

 

“I love you… I know you don’t understand that word now… but I can foresee… one day…” he patted Art’s hands. “You will…”

“Dr. Ram…” Kiki was a mess, but grasped his hand. “I never meant to… I didn’t mean for it to be like this…”

 

“Oh… but it must.” He eyes wandered, head turning away from the two, “ _It muuussst_ ….”

 

When his spirit left him, so did the light I could feel from his body. It spooked me, I turned away and stopped lighting the room with patterns and faint colors.

 

Now it was just the natural light, my arms straight down to my sides.

 

Lily kept reminding me of Jet’s condition, but all I could think about was Dr. Ram. He had sacrificed his own life for a future I didn’t even understand. He saved his A.I from death, and gave him to Kiki’s care. He even tricked me to make sure he had one last chance to save Shade…

 

If ever there was a man I could admire besides Coop…

 

It was _Ram._

I hated that it took his death for me to absolutely trust him and his judgments. But whatever he threw into Shade’s hand…

 

I looked back at him, seeing the nurse cover his face and begin to cry without a sound.

 

_I knew Dr. Ram was the true underdog hero._

Art stumbled outside, Kiki supporting his steps and keeping him balanced as he cried.

 

“Is this… mourning?” he asked her, but never took his eyes off the multi-winged colors that continued to rest in his palms.

 

“…Yeah.” Kiki could barely speak. I followed them out. “This is how it feels to be sad.”

 

“… _I love it_.” Art smiled through spurts of sorrowful chuckles, “But I didn’t want it.”

 

He looked to the sky, “Is this..?” he squinted at the sun that was leveled with the floating heroes school.

 

Kiki nodded again, “That’s the sun. It hurts your eyes, so don’t stare too long…”

 

“…Pain… I never knew there was more ways to experience pain than just a physical attack or ailment.” He looked to the power in his hands. “…A father… I had a father.” His smile faded to one of deep thinking, and for the next several moments, he was very silent.

 

“…Art-“ I stepped forward but Kiki turned back to me, shaking her head and ducking behind him.

 

I remained respectfully silent.

 

He lifted his hands up and the last essence of Dr. Ram was gone… flying through the sky…

 

But then the sky fell.

 

“W-what is happening!?” I turned to the elevator that was usually near the front of the school, but it was completely collapsed.

 

How’d the troops get here..?

 

I turned and saw the military copters pulling down, then suddenly zooming up above us… the school was falling…

 

“KIIIDDD!!!” I heard a muffled megaphone.

 

“ _Coop..?_ ”

 

Wind rushed by me and I felt myself lifting off the ground, Kiki grabbed onto Art for dear life and Art just let the sensation happen to him, now noticing the gravity difference.

 

“Hang on, kid!” Coop’s voice was like a voice was heaven, I felt Sparkles catch me with a blanket of light that held me like a hammock. I looked down and stretched my arms out to Art and Kiki, who were covered in Art’s white hair color and wrapped into a see-through blanket of light.

 

Kiki looked at his hair, gasping when she noticed the color was gone.

 

“What did you do!?” She cried out, looking to me. I could tell she didn’t mean it in a bad way, she was just scared since she hadn’t seen my powers in full effect before.

 

Or rather… Sparkles’s powers.

 

I couldn’t answer her right away, instead, I just pulled them up to me and looked at the school.

 

Kiki gasped again, “Your dress…”

 

I bet it was a sight, “I know, it’s dirty and probably shred at the ends-“ but before I could continue she reached up and cupped my cheek.

 

Immediately, there was a warmth and comfort, a peace that overflooded me as I looked into her eyes.

 

“It’s beautiful.”

 

…Somehow, I knew she wasn’t talking about the dress.

 

“Your powers… you shouldn’t hide them anymore.”

 

…She knew Sparkles was my power, right?

 

It occurred to me then how little I had told her about myself, about Sparkles, about everything...

 

“Did you know him?” Art asked, still moving awkwardly and feeling the flexible, bending light below him that moved like a memory foam mattress.

 

“Shade?” I looked back to Coop, seeing heroes diving to save the school and the rest of the survivors who weren’t taken.

 

It hurt that I couldn’t fight him more. I knew I could have gotten really hurt, just like…

 

I took a deep breath, and as I did so, I felt Kiki reach up and pull me to her.

 

It was sort of strange, but I was tugged off my yellowish white sun-hammock and thrown into her white sack as she cuddled and held me and Art close to her.

 

I didn’t understand, was she being motherly? I guess she could see I was thinking of Dr. Ram and was trying to help.

 

The sentiment was sweet, but I wasn’t much of a hugger…

 

But for Kiki?

 

I guess I owed her that much.

 

I know that Dr. Ram used me to lure Shade and have one last go at speaking some sense into him, but words alone wouldn’t turn that shadow’s heart anymore.

 

_Lily! Aldin!_

‘I know, Sparkles. I know. Where is he?”

 

‘ **I would suggest infiltrating Shade’s army to locate him.’**

 

My head jerked back, and Kiki instinctively pulled me tighter into her chest, thinking I was still in distress I guess.

 

Now I was suffocating with my mouth shoved into her shoulder. “K-Kiki, Quit it!” I muffled, lightly patting her arm to release me.

 

Art seemed to understand, lifting Kiki’s arm up as she looked to him and I jumped out.

 

Falling through the air, the wind was so loud in my ears and so cold upon my face. I searched endless for another signal from Pierce, waiting for his words in my head again… a voice I trusted.

 

‘ **Heh, it’s good to know you’ll never change. But in a good way.’**

“I have changed,” I spoke out through the wind that rushed by my flapping lips, “I remembered that I do things my way!”

 

‘ **…’Thatta girl.’**

Before I could even smile, I saw something blast through the side of the sky, heading straight towards me in a wide-ranging arch.

 

Everything had happened so quickly, I was still a mess—sparkling with pale, iridescent colors—shining off of me. I must have been a flicker of light to the people below, but I soon recognized the mass coming at me.

 

…Jet? It couldn’t be…

 

No, it’s…

 

Then, his uncle slammed into me and grabbed me like you would catch your falling keys.

 

“R-Rocketman!” I was more than flustered, my waist was the size of his freakin’ shoulder. I never noticed how massive he was, but maybe it was just the suit?

 

The Heroes School had been gently placed in the middle of a large cashion’s fountain display on the lower tier, tilting since the technological landmass beneath it was slightly pointed.

 

I was scared when he didn’t say anything, but dropped me at the base of a the sea. The end of Koleroy. They say it was so polluted, the water was black.

 

And they were right. Even with the sun still dangling above the clouds, the sea was a black obsidian of poison.

 

He had dropped me rather unfavorably, to put it lightly, and I rolled along the grainy beach, coughing.

 

When I finally caught my breath, I flung myself up, a radiant glimmer glistened the toxic water and made the entire area light up in rays like the northern lights.

 

“…Do you see what your selfishness has done?” Rocketman’s eyes still sliced me to my soul, but this time, I wouldn’t look away.

 

I wasn’t going to submit to what he felt was right or wrong. I had to do something. I had to save- “Jet’s in danger. I have to free him.” I stood boldly before the symbol of heroism, the very essence of cause and effect.

 

He was like a god reincarnated, huffing some fury to the side as though that was the best he could manage a scoff. “My nephew is gone because of you!” He pointed, stepping forward. “Do you see what it means to be wrong now? Do you realize that you’ve created a far worse threat than before?”

 

“Me?” I was offended at his ignorance. “Shade is-!”

 

“A common sidekick! If it weren’t for your actions, he wouldn’t be so gung ho about taking down heroes.”

 

“He wants to fight against anyone. Supers especially who think just like you!” I couldn’t help it, the yell just leaped from my soul in defiance. “You have me all wrong! You have your nephew all wrong! All Jet wanted to do was save a girl who looked like she needed a kind hand. I never asked to be anything but me! Not a villain, not a hero. The underdog! The one who sticks up for the little man and helps him realize himself again! No titles! Gosh, I hate titles! Can’t we all just be a little special and move on? Why does everyone have to be so mean!?” I blasted some light towards the sea, but to Rocketman, it clearly looked like a threat.

 

The sea was blasted with a streak of light that zoomed into the depths below. But due to its condition, the large ray of light pummeled down like the end trails of a comet at an angle and wasn’t seen anymore. It was almost how frightening how black the sea really was…

 

“You and your foolish fantasies. Heroes protect and keep the order! Without us, there would only be villains.” He sank his large, blonde eyebrows so tightly against the other in his displeasure that I thought the crease between would bulge out.

 

Instead, it gave a nice, square edge to his muscular feature, making him look even more like stone than before.

 

“So you see the common man as an enemy?” I felt my heart racing at saying those words.

 

I could see his face widening in rage.

 

“Or just those that have power, and use it in ways you don’t agree with, as bad?”

 

“All of mankind must obey common ground laws that have been agreed upon. Will you have the world plunged into disorder!?” he tightened his grip, was he testing my convictions?

 

“All I know is that man is protected by justice. But that justice condemns too easily. They speed through with accusations hoping to gloss over the lives of the insignificant. Real justice takes time and righteous hearts to decipher and pray for guidance in how it should be done. When has a hero ever pulled back a punch to listen to a villain’s words and try and find a way to pull them out of their own darkness!?” I threw my hand over the sea, a light glowing like a lantern above it to reveal the state of the water below. “Why hasn’t man cleaned the filth? Because it’s lazy and pretends not to see it! It doesn’t acknowledge its own faults and change for the betterment of the future! When has this sea ever been clear? Do you know a time? Or do you assume it’s meant to be this way? Just like you assume a villain was meant to be evil and corrupted, no hope of turning back because you can’t see what he was before he became poisoned with your ‘order’ that served him no fair verdict!?”

 

I seemed to have paused him long enough to process my words. As he did, I lowered my hand and the light withdrew back to me. “You can’t see the light in the dark… because you’ve closed your eyes so tightly to it. Shade lost his father… I’m guessing because you two toppled the building.”

 

Rocketman suddenly took a sharp intake in, turning around.

 

“…I did try and reach for him.”

 

The whole of the world suddenly changed. I felt the earth tip slightly as my breathing escalated.

 

_What?_

“…But Dark Destiny took one look at my hand… and hit my kindness away.” For the first time, he held his head down, looking somber. “…You’re ideals do not reflect the existence of all people… there is only light and darkness.” He turned back to me. “Stop trying to convince my nephew that there is a grey. Truth should remain bright, and darkness…” he gestured to the sea I once showed him behind me. “… Should remain unwanted, though never forgotten.”

 

So… Dark Destiny only fueled Rocketman’s one-sided heart about villains, and a man’s nature can never be changed… I felt bad for Rocketman then. The moment his heroism took hold in his heart, it was swatted out by one who’s darkness had already consumed him to the point of no return.

 

But… I still didn’t want to believe in that. I wanted to hold on to the hope and faith that villains could change. That we could avoid making villains…

“I won’t accept villains pretending to be something they’re not.” He glared, seeming to disapprove of me even more now.

 

“Your wrong,” I stated. “I’m not a villain. But I don’t stand by the same rules as heroes, either.”

 

“You need to accept them. They’re there because there is no grey. Only the gradual decline of light.”

 

“…I can’t stand by that.” I stepped away, shaking my head. “If a kid on the street offers you lemonade, you thank him and chug it down.” I walked on and flew up into the now darkening sky, seeing a helicopter with Art hanging over Kiki’s shoulder, Pierce sitting on the side with his hand gripping the edge as though sensing me, and Coop… with the eyes full of care and worry. They were all waiting for me.

 

“…Rocketman… I will bring back Jet.” I turned my gaze away from them to land on the rainbow carpet that streamed towards the descending sun over the grave landscape of complete darkness that was once the Koleroy sea.

 

“And when I do… let him see all the colors of the world. Not just the ones you feel he should accept. But those that aren’t so coherent. Those that are not so… primary. But the muddy colors too. The mixtures and browns, the pales and the darks. Let him know that shadows can’t be hidden from the light.”

 

I distance myself from him, riding the rainbow to my friends who….

 

My…. _Friends_.


	17. Grey Underling

Colors

Ch. 17

Grey Underling

By: Cutegirlmayra (Working hard to finish this! Lol)

As I came to the slided door that opened my way into the helicopter, I was immediately greeted with a wide grin, loving hands swooping over me, and Coop shaking his hands up and down my upper back. "You're alright, kid! You're alright!" he seemed overjoyed, no… he was overjoyed, and so was I.

I let my hand rest on his shoulder and smiled too, letting my head fall into him. "You really are like a worried parent." I had to hold in some of my emotions, but in all honesty, I couldn't help letting some love for the old detective out in my weary voice.

"Lily…"

A kind of scratchy, hoarse voice came from Pierce's direction. I turned and waved, knowing he could see that.

He nodded, "We've been waiting for you."

"Sorry, I got a little… tied up." I moved away from Coop, but gave him a reassuring expression as I put my hand to his head. "Coop, I have to tell you something."

"Same here, Kid."

"Shade's back, worse then ever, and guess who joined his army?"

Coop was rocked by the helicopter a moment, still staring at me as the wheels in his head kept turning. He braced himself after a particularly harsh jolt and then his eyes seemed to twinkle with understanding. "All those kids from the KA7…"

He turned back to Pierce, "Thanks for the update."

Wait, did they cheat?

There was a resounding and sarcastic  **'Yes'**  in my mind just then, and I gave Pierce a playful smirk.  **'We don't have time to let everyone figure it out. He's going to say that there's another base in the junkyard.'**

I gasped, looking straight back to Coop, "There's another base in the junkyard!? I thought the police had surrounded that place? How'd he get another secret base in there?"

Coop looked confused before quickly shifting to disappointment, angling his head up to indirectly roll his eyes at Pierce sitting behind him. "Thanks, Pierce." He grumbled.

Pierce just smiled.

"B-but how?" I incredulously still asked, unable to believe it.

"It's a pretty big property, Colors." Coop joked, "Pierce says the one we first found was just a buried old building they got working again. It's actually not underground or anything, just swamped with junk." He turned back to Pierce, "They've got another one for training recruits. He says Shade's ready to move, and Jet's not lookin' too good…"

My heart sank.

_Jet…_

"I have to go." I took on a serious expression, trying to seem mature but I knew Pierce would call my bluff right away.

"Sneaking into a villain's den without backup is suicide if you're not an appropriate ranking." Art suddenly spoke up and we all diverted our attention to him. "Rules state you're still a sidekick grade. You'll need a supervised hero in order to proceed with a stealth mission of this magnitude."

"I'll just pretend to be his recruit. He'll love that." I argued, turning to Pierce. "And Pierce can tell me everyone's thoughts and where to go to save Jet."

Pierce lifted his head up, his blindfold slightly lose and flapping in the turbulence.

He seemed calm, but was perhaps a bit afraid of what I was planning.

"It's too risky, Lilz." Coop reached a hand out, trying to calm my over enthusiastic gusto down a notch, but I wasn't willing to retreat this time.

"Lilz? You still don't see me as an adult, do you?"

"Not when you're so ready to die." Coop took on a very fatherly tone, but his face mirrored the threat of a cowboy about to draw a pistol. He clearly wasn't ready to let me go alone…

"She'll have me." Pierce cleared his throat, but stated again, "Backup isn't really an option right now."

"I-" Kiki's terrified voice broke the tension in the atmosphere. We all looked to her for a few minutes but she lowered her head again.

"Kiki, you're too low a ranking as well. You're still just a sidekick." Art dipped his head to her, but she lowered hers so far that it was clear she didn't have the strength or real guts to volunteer.

Her heart tried to push her though, and for that, I was grateful for her moment of bravery.

It really would be suicide if she came though, in all honesty, she was just too peppy for this dark ordeal. Her nerves wouldn't manage it.

"Where to, Detective Coop?" The pilot, who I hadn't even noticed, finally spoke up.

"…I guess the Junkyard." Coop seemed to give in, and I smiled at the change of pace.

"Thou mayest go on one holy condition…"

We all looked out the open gap of the helicopter to see the head of a cloud pegasus, his head down like a wild stallion treading the dusk sky.

"Hey, look! A hero!" I giddily spoke aloud as Lady Saint Grace held her sword across her armored chest.

"I will ride with thee. I'll be thy distraction! We'll convince the fiends you're on their side. Thou cans't fight the good book." Her red hair, tied up like a knight's plume out her helmet's top flapped like a true banner of heavenly war.

I was certain to take her offer, and turned to Pierce, "You can connect to me whenever, right?"

"Within reasonable range I can communicate. But yes. I can see you no matter where you go." There was a moment where I just stared at him. His words touched me somehow, it was almost as though I constantly had a friend with me.

Sparkles… It was like having another Sparkles…

' **I'm really glad you see it that way, not many people do.'**  He flicked his nose as with his pointer finger in a cheeky way. Maybe he thought it was funny, but didn't want to randomly chuckle when no one would know what he was laughing about.

I mentally laughed for him, and jumped out the heliocopter.

"Kid..!" I could literally hear the moment Coop's heart skipped a fraction of a beat, like a mother seeing their child fall smack on their faces.

"I'll be fine, Coop!" I cried out over the whirling sound of the helicopter's propellers as Lady Saint Grace reared her sky steed away from.

"You know, I could care less about rules." I joked with her, hugging her from behind.

"I dare say thou wouldst." She looked back at me and smiled, "Alas, I shall not allow thee to cause more harm to thy virtue. Let this be the day that all shall say," she lifted her sword high, "Colors! The hero, and nay, never the villain!"

Something poked my heart then, injecting an unusual sadness into it. It seeped slowly at first, but then spread and even covered my face, draining my body of its previous vigor for the task at hand.

Now… I was once again fighting with what Shade had said. I didn't want to be anything at first. Then, as though out of the blue, I was the underdog hero. Then I was nothing. Then, just like that,… a villain. I'd like to think I was just a vigilante. But now… I think it was all either a bit too selfish, or a bit too much.

That little girl from the bank, which apparently was targeted to cripple heroes and villains from making a comeback against Shade, according to the sudden thoughts streaming in from Pierce.

I just played around, I didn't really change until I met Jet, did I? I attended the hero school… I resisted change so much. But if it wasn't for Jet, I…

Maybe I would have been prejudice and selfish the rest of my life.

I thought about Kiki, Terra, everyone. All the friends I had collected that stood by me because of him.

Pierce stood by me because I stood up to Shade, but Jet stood by me simply because he wanted to believe there was more good in me than bad.

' **This could be an obvious trap, Lily… He knows I'm with you. Should you really be focused on only saving one life?'**

I hurt him, Pierce… and it just occurred to me that I haven't apologized to him yet.

Shade fooled me. But that doesn't mean I wasn't going to confess how… ehem, my gratitude for him!

Of course I'll save them, Pierce. That's your job. To guide me on how to save them.

Jet may act obnoxiously invincible and conceited, but he actually did try everything in hopes that I'd be saved from my own raging conflict inside me. So even if it is an obvious trap…

Jet…  _I'm coming!_

-Back to the Junkyard-

-Jet's POV-

It was foggy in my eyes, clouded over by the pain of feeling my brother's passing again.

I hadn't relived that moment so vividly before. All the painful nightmares seemed like flashbacks that would only lead to me to tears, not a return of the first pains it ever dealt me.

"He's suffering, alright." A girl, apparently named Ellie, released her grip on me and walked away, smirking for some reason at my trauma.

"Do you even know what you're smiling about?" I asked her. I couldn't believe someone could be so cruel.

She shrugged, not saying a word and looking back behind her.

Shade's red eyes fixated on me. I hated those eyes. They were like a cobra's venom you just wanted to punch out of your sight before it seeped in and convinced you of doom.

"…Has he suffered enough, though?" Shade's voice ticked me off too. He might not look it, but he was fiercely powerful. His child-like stature and ridiculous clothes didn't compare with his actual dark soul.

I was chained up with that creepy animal guy's super power. Chain arms? I mean, wicked but totally cruel.

How does he hold a fork?

"… I just don't get it." He was tapping his finger on his folded arms before lifting his head up and sighing in what looked like pent up rage.

He pushed himself off the wall and came towards me, "You two are so different… but we're so alike, she and I… why choose you, when I'm her ideal?" He gestured his arms out, but I admit that his words caught my attention.

"Beg your pardon?" I inquired, not liking the shift in tone but knowing full well who he was talking about.

He momentarily smiled, but it was fleeting. "Although I shared the kiss… I hated it." He took Ellie's arm, gripping it as he looked distant from this place. I didn't know what he meant, but he started walking over to me, and I knew that girl's hand was about to be jammed into me.

So I braced for impact. Sucking in some air, I tensed my body and tightened my fists, hearing them shake the chains at the intensity of my preparation.

Heroes anticipate coming disaster. That was something I had learned in Heroes School.

"But it was intended for you… and not me." He did exactly as I figured, pulled the girl's hand quite forcibly into my chest. She was yanked forward, stumbling but I felt the second the released her power onto me again.

I reeled my head back, gritting my teeth as I saw my brother laying there. Incredulously, I reached out to him, still thinking him alive when my uncle pulled my hand away and Jankins led me out of the room while he talked to the doctor.

I relived the news about my parents, my arms feeling the wedge of the chains dig into my skin as I flexed them up to deal with the pain on my chest, in my heart…

When the hand was removed, I went limp. The ghostly chains had to pull me up somewhat from completely falling to the ground.

I spat out some spit and wearily looked up to Shade,…  _was that all?_

His eyes looked bewildered, maybe he got the message.

"I've relived my pain so many times… no matter how much you throw at me, it's all stuff I've learned to deal with before." Now he looked enraged. "Jealousy can really bite you in the butt sometimes, huh, Shade? I guess you and your dad have something in common."

I was referring to the way Shade was conceived, but that seemed to trigger more than I was reckoning.

I felt the punch slam against the side of my face, directly followed by an uppercut that sent the sweat on my face flying into my hair and up towards the ceiling.

I hung my head low then, but multiple hits just kept coming.

When that pain subsided, I tried to see through the blur in my eyes again, the sweat and blood now mixing to sting my eyes as I barely noticed the blobbed mass of the pain-inducing girl step away.

"You really make girls watch this..?"

"Don't speak to me about fathers!" Shade cried out, wiping my blood off his fists and shaking them out. So… he wasn't perfectly fit then, was he? Those hits took a toll on him too.

"I'll destroy all the fathers of justice! Yours most of all!" he swung back to me, his cloak's end flapping back behind him as though his words held any merit just because he had some flare to his lame attire.

Second Hero code I remembered, if a villain had his facts wrong, don't correct him unless it would save lives.

So I didn't say anything about Richard being my uncle, not my father.

The more he doesn't know, the better.

I was panting, tasting the blood on my scraped up lip and spat it out too. "Colors's isn't one to go around kissing people, but since you're so upset, I guess she finally figured it out." I couldn't help but smile a bit at that, even though the motion hurt. Lily kissed me? But then again, she kissed Shade. Gross. Now I was kinda mad I missed the dance.

I had flown straight for him, but just like last time, he sent me into that weird void space. I was bent and twisted in ways I'm pretty sure aren't possible for the human body to endure but then was shot out into this room.

If I had just held in my anger,… at least Sparkles listened and took off when I told her too.

He hadn't seen her, thank goodness.

"Whether the kiss was yours or not, it makes no difference…" his demeanor changed. He channeled his rage and held it in, moving slowly now, more precise. "I'll have Colors… I can enlighten her." He twiddled his fingers in the air a moment, making me confused by the kinda sissy action. "Enlighten her to what she's missing in her… ideology. Isn't that what she wants? Some…  _understanding_ for life's cruelty?" So he was planning to manipulate her? Good luck. Lily was smart. She's far too cautious to let someone toy around with her.

"What do you know about, Colors? What she wants? You don't care about what she's missing!" I raddled the chains I was held in, trying to lurch forward as his attention momentarily turned back to me. "You only see her as a threat you either control or have to throw into that dark abyss!" I wasn't going to let him talk about Lily like this… I couldn't!

He snickered a moment, "Such heroism…" the people in the room joined in on the laughter, but I think it was a cue to agree with him or suffer consequences. "And what? You know how to complete her theories? A pathetic sidekick like yourself?"

So… he knew where my buttons were, huh?

True, I haven't been able to advance to hero. They write, 'too reckless' on the exam sheets. But what do I care? I save lives. I help people. That's all that really matters.

"No… I don't know. And to be honest? I don't care about that mumbo jumbo she spats out about light and darkness all the time!" I felt my strength returning, just mentioning Lily gave me some unknown will and strength.

Jankins once told me that's how you know you've found you're Mary Jane, Lois, Selina, etc.

Mine was a girl named Lily. She had the typical blonde hair and blue eyes—well, when she wasn't sporting the white eyes with backwards rainbows at the bottom—with a sass and playful way about herself. She may be confused with a lot of things, but she just needed someone to push her in the right direction. Give her something steady for a chance of pace, something she could trust.

Lily had humble beginnings, and although I don't know everything about her, she had a lot of spite towards the top tiers. Lately, I think I've helped change that perspective, or maybe I've made it worse. Either way, I knew Lily wasn't a villain. I knew she wasn't much of a hero either, but I saw potential. She wants to help the world, she just doesn't quite get the world enough to help it.

She's sorta naïve and I find that rather endearing.

She has idealisms, but that's because she sees an ideal world out of garbage.

Lily could become a motivational speaker that could start movements, but instead, she just acts…

I smirked a moment.

_Recklessly._

We were more alike than Shade knew. More than I would ever tell him.

I looked confidently back up to stare his burning eyes to my mossy, peaceful ones.

I was sure of my words this time, I would mean them with all my heart.

'If you're going to be a hero, say things like you mean them with total conviction.' Richard would say that. I never forgot it. 'Villains can't argue with what you declare to be true. Because they can't fight against what you unyieldingly believe in. It's impossible.' The ones who are smart enough just quit and the foolish ones keep arguing till they get worked up about it enough to blow up.

"It's not what's most important to me." I watched his eyes hone in on mine, testing me. I felt something powerful in them though, as though looking too long at them would mean I couldn't get out. But I didn't care. Lily helped me fight them, helped me realize how much they lied. "But I've known how to love her. Whether she's right or wrong, I won't just give up on Lily!" I felt the power in my words, I felt them tear into his eyes and rip them to shreds. There wasn't a deceitful set of words he could throw at me to change it. It was an iron defense against his eyes, whatever power they held to trap me in his clutches wouldn't work anymore.

Whoops, did I say her real name?

"Pfft, heroes…" he faced his back away from me, rubbing his eyes… "Always thinking people need to be saved…"

Then, I felt the chains loop around my throat.

"I could care less about Lily… its  _Colors_  that I'm after." He quickly spoke again, "Well, not exactly. I don't mind having Lily,… but she's useless to me right now."

I wanted so badly to punch his face out. He dared talk about her as if all she was was power to him!

"If I can't have Colors,… then I'll throw her into the black hole that exists within my hand…" He looked at the portal that formed at the palm of his hand, and for the first time in a long time, I actually felt afraid.

No… Not Lily..!

"Where nothing," he crunched his hand into a fist, having it shake in the anger of his dark threat. "Not even light can escape!"

"Shade!"

Just then, someone burst through the room. "It's Colors!" they continued. "She's fighting Superhero!"

I couldn't see Shade's expression, but I already knew what it was.

_Intrique._

-Lily's POV-

We started rehearsing a bit before landing in the junkyard. 'Really think he'll buy this?' I mentally asked Pierce, who promptly responded.

' **No.'**

I was about to grumble in defeat before he spoke again.

' **But he's obsessed with you. He'll play along.'**

Obsessed? Well, that's a first.

I wasn't used to being 'wanted', so to speak.

"Art thou fully prepared?" Lady Saint Grace started before I finally had it with the role-play talk.

"Look, Scarlet, can we talk normally please?" I was trying to be polite, but hey! A lot happened to me today!

"…I suppose you're right."  _Finally._

She placed her sword back in its scabbard and then lightly scolded me with a shake of her head. "You really shouldn't say our identities out loud in enemy territory. You never know what they can't and can hear…" she scanned around.

"…Should I even be doing this?" I spoke my thoughts out loud, looking to the ground.

It seemed to spook Scarlet as she looked back to me, "What ails you?" She was half-speaking her hero-tongue, but I let it slide.

"I mean… that's me, though! I'm Lily!" I gestured to myself. "I'm not a superhero… and I'm not a villain either…" I rubbed the back of my head, looking out at the fake battlefield we picked. We were hiding behind some piled cars and other junks like a tossed oven, giving us good cover but little time to really choreograph anything convincing.

"I don't have Super's strength or endurance… I get hurt easily." I thought back to my first training fight in gym class. "I don't have a strong moral compass…" I thought about how much I failed that class… "I don't even have my own powers! It's all Sparkles! Not mine…" I thought about Sparkles, how wrong I had been to her.

"There's nothing even remotely heroic about me… besides rushing to a misguided sap's aid, I just end up running away from everything… Even my family…" I didn't know why I suddenly had cold feet, but thinking back on my old home life, I suddenly got teary eyed.

I wiped them as quick as possible, trying to hide my emotions from Scarlet, but I didn't hear any movement from her. I kept my face from her sight, kicking some garbage aside to focus on something else.

' **Lily…'**

I was letting you down, wasn't I, Pierce?

I guess gaining powers made me weaker… in some weird twist of fate like that.

I was so sure of myself and my actions when I never thought about them, but having responsibility and trying to change myself? It definitely didn't happen overnight.

"... Colors," the name threw me off as Scarlet continued. "No little school girl I know could have the courage to take on Shade like you are. More so, you've done many great, heroic things since combining your strength with Sparkles."

I could feel Sparkles growing happy, why was that?

"You saved a little girl from a falling Bank, secretly associated to villains  _and_  heroes alike. I read the paper. I saw the fireworks for that man about to take a worker's life. I saw you stand up to Shade, and heard plenty more stories where you stopped a criminal delivery service too."

I continued to feel the guilt of that, though. I could feel Sparkles wanting to use her power, and surrendered my will to hers.

She rose my hand up, showing me a faint pink color that was still stored within herself.

My eyes widened, mesmerized by the color.

It was Aldin's blush…

Lily… you have to save him. The desire to save Jet… that's enough to make you a Super! Not a hero, not a villain! But a Super Lily!

Sparkles words struck a nerve. I suddenly felt invigorated, crushing the color back into my fist as I looked back at the spot we were to fake battle in.

"You may not have had an angel hanging over your bedside, declaring you a hero of heaven, but you did have one merciful, heroic moment that shifted the course of your life forever. All origins have a purpose and reason, Lily. And all start with both a strength, and a character weakness. A tragic flaw that will one day become the driving force, the divining light that leads you to your true, core strength. Your weaknesses become your strengths. Your humanity is what you Colors, just as much as Lily makes you who you are, she also influences the…" she paused herself, giving it some thought it seemed before saying, "The savior you want to be."

"Savior?" I thought that a little strange, turning back to her.

"Not the religious kind, mind you." She smiled through the small cuts in her helmet. "I mean the kind that saves all, anyone and everyone willing to be saved. That's what you want, right? You want to save Jet?"

"I…" It was so odd, I felt strong… but I also felt more weak than I've ever been in my entire life. Facing Shade… being at his mercy… I was tortured once, I didn't want to go back but…

That blush that still was in the palm of my hands… it flustered my heart and pulled me to him. I wanted to see him again, desperately. I wanted to tell him… tell him the truth. Let him in the confines of my mind where only Sparkles had truly ventured into it.

' **Ehem.'**

Okay, well… I'm learning to be more open, so this actually proves my point.

"…Colors?" Scarlet began, tilting her head and wondering where my thoughts were, I guess.

I nodded, turning back to her and trying to push out Pierce's annoying laughter in my head. "My light and my darkness… my humanity… Thank you, Sc-…. Lady Saint Grace." I beamed to her, showing her words had indeed lightened my spirits.

She looked relieved, "Just remember this, Colors. Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space… light will always lead the way in the dark." Her words of wisdom seemed true enough, and I took every amount of bravery I had mustered to walk out into the open area.

I was gonna save them. Save all those kids just like Pierce who want a way out but are too scared to rebel against Shade…

' **He's coming.'**  Pierce showed me a huge mass of people free-running over the garbage and junk, scaling the land as though flying monkeys.

Shade must be in the mist of them…

"I will save them!" I used the power of light to cloak me in my hero's attire, locating its colors and sending light to travel it onto me. My dress was sent back through the same process of light, placing it in my soaked and slightly crushed dorm room.

"And I'll do it-!" I spun around, " _In style!_ "

Lady Saint Grace momentarily looked stunned to see my quick change, but nodded and began her dialogue we had rehearsed.

"Thou cans't do this! I forbade it!" she brought out her sword, slashing it with expert skill around and posing, waiting to combat me.

I smirked, using Jet as my basis, and put my hands to my hip. "I'm no angel. Shade made some actual sense. If his takeover means I get to live the way I so choose to, then I'm all in!"

I slammed my hands together, channeling light from the surrounding area and formed a bubble around myself. I didn't know how hard LSG's holy sword could hurt so-

She suddenly darted towards me, easily slashing through my shield as her heaven's light blazed on the blade at me.

I fell back, terrified a moment as she stepped back. Swishing her sword, she taunted me to get up, "Fight! Traitor!"

I grumbled but got up, realizing she wasn't going to hold back any punches. Luckily, she did purposefully miss it seemed, and I readied myself again.

I brought light around my feet and pulled it up to make an endless supply of comets. It was all I knew how to do at the moment.

Once again, the glare from her blade would have made me squint if it weren't for Sparkles's power enhancing my eyes to endure all light and see it clearly. My comets bounced off her blade as she whacked them each away.

Suddenly, I saw her look way up into the sky. She nodded to me, a signal that she had spotted Shade. I gulped, but nodded back, holding up all the light I had gathered and firing a large blast at her.

She looked ready to shield with a mist she summoned, forming into what looked like a crystal shield but I spread the light out with my hands, parting my arms out as a large flash engulfed her.

"Grk..!" she must not have been expecting it. The heat steamed up the mist before the crystallized shield could forge and she had to duck into the garbage, hiding…

"Grace…" I didn't know how she was going to flee from this one. I kept the light up so no one would see her digging, but after a moment…

I saw her pegasus form large cumulonimbus clouds overhead. It's wings opened and it charged down to her, departing behind the pile.

I couldn't keep the light hanging like a flash grenade forever so I finally dropped it, feeling the exhaustion in my arms and Sparkles growing faint within me.

She rose from behind the large, stacked pile of junk and fled into the skies.

_Then I heard a single pair of hands clapping behind me._

Not wanting to look exhausted, I tried to stop panting and sucked in some air, turning around and getting ready to hold my ground.

How many kids?

' **I'm not close enough anymore. Coop is telling the pilot to fly back around. Last I checked, over twenty, maybe thirty at most. I know most of their thoughts. I think they're all scouts and defense squads. They're mostly there to backup Shade… though he likes to personally toy with his food…'**

Okay, not helping.

Lily… I… I'm scared.

'Don't be, Sparkles.' I put my fist right over my heart, trying to comfort her. 'I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you. Have I ever broken that promise?'

She remained silent, and I sincerely hope I truly hadn't.

I don't think I have…

I felt her withdrawing, was I not able to comfort her like before?

' **Worry about Sparkles later. Remember, her thoughts are like a child's. She's just afraid. Focus on him and for goodness sakes, defend yourself!'**

With that, I straightened up, shook my focus back to Shade and gathered light that spiraled in a circle around my feet.

"What a show!" He hollered from a large, towering pillar of his dark spines…

How'd he get up there..?

I could barely trace his heat signature again, and as far as I knew, junk piles don't sway on occasion…

"Rahfel, you heard her didn't you?" he looked down as Rahfel was on all fours, racing to the top of a pile and then squatting down as he peered down to me like a panther in the night.

His tail swished behind him, scattering cans and other small pieces of paper to the sides of him.

"She really expects me to believe that she can so easily change her mind?"

"I was forced into the heroes school, much like you were!" I wasn't going to back down this time. No running away! I had a mission… Jet!

"…Well then I'm flattered." He touched his chest, tilting his head and playing up his own drama too. "I have to admit… I wanted a redo on that little,  _shared_  experience from before… I felt it faded too quickly." His red eyes… Why couldn't I ever shake myself free of them?

"…Your words… they're the only option for my idealisms to thrive in." I wanted a strong look. I didn't want him to see my arms shaking… I didn't want him to feel my heart racing… I didn't want any trace of fright to appear. Only a strong light in the darkness… just like LSG said.

His people would spread the word, just like when I showed Pierce my conviction through my anger and desperation to keep Sparkles safe. I would show them too… I could save them all.

He turned his head, but kept his eyes on me.

' **He's not gonna buy it, Lily. Best to surrender yourself to him. It may be the only way he'll bring you in.'**

"You're obsessed with me, right?" That threw Pierce off.

The Tower of vines suddenly sprayed out, looking like a silhouetted tree against the skyline. I could see Shade tense up, his body lean forward…

' **W-what are you doing!?'**  Pierce revealed an image in my mind of him being considerably flustered in the seat of the helicopter, keeping a low profile many miles away while Coop was on the phone and simultaneously gesturing and possibly holding a conversation with the pilot as well.

"…It'd be more convenient to woo me from your domain… wouldn't it?"

There was a brief pause where the kids all turned to mutter to one another before dropping silent when Shade burst out a laugh.

He jaggedly descended from his tall, vine-layered tower and snapped his finger, "Take her, Rahfel. I don't mind the invitation."

Rahfel rolled his shoulders as he rose back onto his legs, whipping his chains out as they grew and began slithering into the junk piles, curling around my body once they reached me.

I absorbed the rest of the light I had around my feet and watched as the chains remained loosely close to my skin… before latching themselves violently into a tight squeeze.

"Ugh..! Umph…" I barely had room to move my chin and breath, let alone speak.

"…Keep an eye on her… You know where to put her." Shade placed two fingers onto his lips, then blew me a kiss before walking off. "Check the perimeter. Make sure that hero's gone, and no further backup is present. Scan her for devices! I want nothing but her clothes on her!"

I tensed a bit. That sounded uncomfortable…

' **Next time, let me do the talking.'**  Pierce seemed to think I wasn't capable. I'll show him. I'll show them all! Whaha!

Oh no, I was getting scared again. I dealt with fear through humor. That's not good, I must be more nervous than I thought.

I was taken through the junkyard, blindfolded, and dropped into a room fit for a speech. It wasn't like the steel, buried and abandoned building like before. This was a wooden room, with long red drapes that looked dirtied, stained, and sagged on the floors. I got a royal vibe from how long they stretched from the ceiling to the floor, the wires that connected to speakers and a curved stage with a podium. Where was I? Why was I placed here?

"Sparkles?" I whispered, opening my eyes out wide. "Come on, I gotta speak with you."

' **W-wait… What are you doing? Is that a good idea?!'** Pierce must have read my mind quickly, but was still startled by my conclusions.

Sparkles as well.

She did pop out, a flash of light covering my sight before appearing before me and turning around, hovering by my face. "Lily…"

"Heh, you're getting better at that." I smiled. Since when did she start talking normally? It was like seeing her grow up a bit, and it touched me, somewhat.

I wondered how much of that growth was because of me… and how much I had missed of it.

It made my heart sink again in despair, thinking about how I've been treating those most closest to me.

_Not this time._

"Sparkles, I want you to go behind those long curtains, see them right there?" I guided her eyes to them, following my pointed finger but scooting ever so closer to me in the air.

She turned back to me, eyes glossing as though she already knew what I wanted from her.

"…You've always been so thoughtful of me. Always confused by my actions." I felt tears, oh man, I really was getting scared. "But just like before, Shade may try something. He may hurt you to get to your powers."

" _Our_." I thought she had growled lightly, but when looking at the motions of her mouth, I realized she was emphasizing us two.

Now I sniffled, that was too cute and too considerate of her.

"Come'ere." I couldn't help it. Wiping a tear from my eye, I held her close. "I can't let anything bad happen to you. Since day one. I know I've been difficult to love, but you've been so amazing at loving me through it all. You're quick to forgive, but still easily spooked by… and for me." I pulled her away and lightly directed her body up like tossing a balloon. "Go… Find Jet. You can come back when you're certain Shade isn't around."

She hesitated, reluctant to leave my side still as she looked to the curtains and back to me. "I come back. Defend Lily. I… I and Lily,  _one_." She nodded, her eyes showing a fierce loyalty that caught me off guard. "Find Jet, save Lily. I… I love Lily…" she let a few tears fall into her fur around her cheeks, batting her eyes and giving a genuine smile to me. "Lily hurt Lily. Lily mean to I and Jet. Lily love us too. Lily not know how to say love. Lily love. Lily love no talk, I feel Lily love. Hard to see. Feel it." She patted her chest, then burst into a ball of light and zoomed up the curtains.

Her grammar may be off on some things but those words hit me more than anything anyone's ever said to me.

It's hard for me… to express feelings of admiration or devotion, but I do feel them.

Sparkles must have felt how I really feel, even though it was hard for me to communicate that and show it for others to understand.

Perfectly understanding me, Sparkles forgave and kept returning to my side.

' **Bunnies are a woman's best friend.'**  Pierce showed me a smile in my mind's eye.

I almost forgot about him, and wiped more straying tears away. "Heh, yeah. You're a good friend too, Pierce. You're only trying to help."

' **I longed for someone to show me everything that they are. My own parents couldn't withstand it, but Shade and you… I will do whatever it takes to stop Shade. He's not who he was, and he's not someone who keeps his promises. I always hoped, you know? But he won't change… You do, Lily. You evolve.'**

"Thanks… It's hard to see it sometimes, but I also feel like I have, in some ways."

' **In a lot of ways. Take it from a third-person perspective.'**

I had to laugh on that one. He did technically see everything that ever happened in my life and then some. He saw all my thoughts and basically no privacy. All my feelings and wants and joys… "Alright." I finally said. "I'll take your word for it."

' **Good.'** I could feel how fond he was of me, and how much he wanted me to succeed.  **'** _ **Here he comes**_ **.'**

It was flashy, to say the least, but without light. Shadows began shooting into one spot on the floor, darting like mad crows that progressively continued to flock to the middle of the room where I began running away from.

I watched as the shadows rose from the ground, lurching in an odd blob of spiraling darkness to the left then the right. When the image finally rested on a door's arch, Shade walked out with a flick of his hair. "Juliet, oh, Juliet…" he looked directly at my hair, having returned to its normal color, and my eyes, seeing the displacement of light and ability from them. "…What happened to your hair?" he turned offensive, standing less like a tease and more like he was waiting for war…

' **Hiding it. Like usual.'** Pierce instructed.

"…Bad lighting." I sent a quip back, ignoring Pierce.

He didn't like that.

Shade rose an eyebrow, then stepped forward, the shadows still lifting up to form the doorway. "You're hero attire? Still trying to pass as one?"

' **Lily,… you're giving yourself away. Just let me handle this.'** Pierce tried to plead again.  **'He's already on edge, don't make it worse. Just say, it still fits me well.'**

"… I look epic in this." I moved my arms out a bit, shrugging almost in my cockiness as Pierce once again sent a signal through my mind that he was upset with my lack of following instructions.

'I still want to sound like myself.' I stated to him, 'If I don't, he'll know it's you, right?'

'… **Good point.'** He seemed to grumble in his voice within my mind,  **'But it's still risky. I don't like it.'**

'Risk is kinda my lifestyle.' I teased again.

' **Your nervous energy will be the death of you!'**

'I know, I'm so scared, I'm suddenly a standup comedian instead of an activist.'

' **An activist is exactly what he wants, if it's to his tastes.'**

'Learn a different flavor.' I smiled.

"… You're very sure of yourself this time… aren't you?" Shade relaxed, the darkness lurching slowly forward and wrapping the tip of its arch around his shoulders, as though a long cape being sapped into him.

' **Well, what you're doing is working.'** Pierce concluded,  **'I guess I'll let you take it from here. Distract him long enough so Sparkles can find Jet. I'm not familiar with finding his brain waves, but I'll do my best.'**

'Counting on you.' I mentally nodded to him, and continued to focus on Shade.

"I like to think I'm awakened to reality. The reality of who I am, and what I stand for." I straightened myself up, matching his exact pose. "I'm attracted to the power that creates change. I wasn't lying when I said those words to you back at the school. However, I still don't agree with you taking students against their will…"

He looked me over, making me nervous but I quickly countered by putting my hand to my hip, again looking fierce as can be.

I can't let him know I was afraid…

"…You said it'd be easier to woo you… but I have a feeling you're not one to give your heart away just like that." He snapped and began to walk around, the darkness fully being absorbed into himself. "What's your motive? Why bother seeking me out when you know I'm only after you?"

"Only? That's flattering. You're doing great so far… if you're trying to come off a creeper." I followed and matched the pace, circling him.

He adjusted his gloves and smirked, looking away. "You want to join the cause? What cause do you think this is?"

A trick question, I had to be careful with this one.

"Aren't you and I doing the same thing? Just on opposite spectrums of the 'enthusiast' scale?"

"If you're referring to the destruction of society and the rebuilding of a new era, where there are only Supers and Non-Supers… where those with ability can use it as they choose to without restraint or judgments… then… yes." He stopped abruptly, and I had to pivot to match him.

I felt myself faltering, what do I do to convince him of my new loyalty?

"I hate to think this has something to do with that boy, Aldin, was it?" Shade tugged on his cloak, "Remember, he wasn't the one kissing you back. Just saying…" he touched his thumb to his lips.

Then I felt darkness around me.

It was his eyes, I couldn't focus again. What was this strange power?

His red eyes made the rest of my vision blurry except for the details of that vibrant red color, the luring and hypnotic pull was strong enough to have me unwillingly step towards him.

"H-how are you doing this?" I found myself stuttering, advancing towards him.

He continued to freeze as I felt like a harpoon was struck through my eyes by his own. I imagined tiny, but buff men pulling me across the floor, like a man obsessed with a certain mighty whale.

"Give up, Colors. Darkness absorbs light. What do you think this is?" He widened his eyes, "Attraction."

I was suddenly unable to breathe. My heart raced. Was he… was he using our natural duality to his advantage?

But why was it working on me? Sparkles had left, how was it…

It hit me then.

I could feel his darkness.

I could feel the absence of light and it being drained from me.

How could I still have lingering light from Sparkles? I never had that before. Why was this… somehow…

_Different?_

"Shadows follow the light, Lily… I would also like to mention that light fills where darkness doesn't exist. If I remove darkness from my eyes, you immediately want to fill it."

He placed his hand to his chin, waiting as I finally could stop myself from advancing towards him. "This is… is… sickening." I tried to shake free of it. So it wasn't actually my feelings, I wasn't conflicted on this guy! It was a power… I never felt anything connecting us.

He suddenly lurched forward and kissed me, but when his eyes left my vision I could fight again.

Except…

The darkness consuming me pushed the remaining power down. I couldn't use it, but I felt him draining it and my power weakening.

Did Sparkles not fully leave? There was no time to reflect on that now!

Reflect… that's it!

When he let me go, I collapsed to the ground. I was weakened, but I had a new strategy.

I wiped my mouth of that disgusting and unwelcomed touch as he laughed and continued, "You have no idea how long I had to plan that. At last, a kiss that's my own. I'm tried of disguises and deceit. I just want you. Either side with me or have your powers lost. I'll suck every last bit of light from your body without a moment's thought of what that could do to you." He leaned down, and I readied myself. I didn't have my powers, but I did have enough human strength to try one last thing…

I'd reflect enough 'light' to blast him through the wall. At least, that's what I would try, anyway.

"I wonder why I was so weary of you…" He turned my face to his again, almost looking tenderly to me. "You really are… just a bunch of smoke and mirrors…"

_I had it._

"Absorb this!" I smacked my fist into his face. It hurt like crazy, but when I looked back to see my success, I only saw a black image in front of me.

"Heh, is this how you gain my trust?"

"This isn't wooing, it's intimidation." I glared.

"Well," He moved back, looking as though he didn't really care. "You're only lying to me, aren't you? Playing me for a fool. Why shouldn't I be able to do the same?" He stomped his foot down. "But I still don't get it… how could you choose that blonde, pompous brat over me?!" He spun around, "We're so alike you and I! What does he have that I haven't offered you!?"

I remained silent.

"He's trapped you in a prison meant to brainwash you into a hero! Into an 'outstanding citizen' of this wretched society! He's using you as a means to gain rank in the Supers by masquerading as your hero! He tracks you down like a fugitive! I've always come to you ready with a deal, he's only grabbed you! Plucked you off the streets against your will and here I was trying to give you a choice! Now you blame me for grabbing you! Ha! Tell me, Lily… Was that your first kiss?! Don't tell me he hasn't tried the same! Don't tell me he's Mr. Perfect and Wonderboy, parading to your rescue."

"…You tortured me!" I hit the ground.

"He manipulated you!" He snapped back. He could see my form weakening, my mentality, my emotional core, everything about me faltering.

I admit it. I cried in front of him.

"Stop saying that… stop saying everything I've ever said."

"It's because you and I fit the color 'black' more than his sparkling white, Lily…" He quit his ranting, but he was clearly still upset. "I'm frustrated that you're falling for the same ruse they spout to all of us." He gestured his arm out and then looked around. "Think about our purpose, Lily… To reform the world. You focus on people, who by fault are all self-centered and are quick to ridicule others for gain. Your only real allies are those who think like you. When you state an opinion they detest? Thrown into a label. Traitor, idiot, monster— _villain_." He marched over to me, striking out his hand to me as I didn't say anything.

"This is the last time. I won't let you refuse me again. For your own good, seize your day!" he tensed his hand out, "This is the last offer, my last shred of mercy for you. After this, I'll forget I ever saw you as anything more than a sassy child playing with magic!" His voice was so intense, everything he had said sounded like it belonged to my mind at one point. It spooked me. Was Dr. Ram right? Was Pierce right? Was Shade and I really that similar..?

What was the difference then? What was the point of trying to be something I'm not? Was I more fit for the role of villainy?

It took two whole seconds for me to look at his hand, then at his red eyes.

I shook my head.

His whole face flared in anger, his breathing coming out in harsh puffs as he grabbed my arm, dragging me to the stage and pulling me up it.

"They all called my father a villain… his trial never even stated his name, they just called him a villain!" He thrusted me towards the mic. "All they knew was his misdeeds! But he raised me! He was my  _father_!" A dark vine slithered rapidly to turn on a speaker. Many more dark vines sprang out around him and caught me, wrapping around to bind me as other massive vines switched on other devices.

I looked around frantically, was there no way out?

"Then he went to get revenge. He found me and told me his plan. I was with him when the building collapsed, when Rocketman and him were in fighting. Jet knocked me out. I woke up and heard Dark Destiny was dead, Rocketman saw to it. He didn't even try and save my father's life! He just let the building collapse and crush him! He didn't blink an eye when my birth mother was called and refused to take me, when they came to throw me in an orphanage, when Dr. Ram tried to force me back to the hero school—Heroes are nothing more than unfeeling savages!" he held the mic to my face. "Tell them, Lily! Tell them your loyalties are for those wronged by judgements! A human life is just a soul, black or white, it doesn't matter! Tell them they've been wronged, Lily! Colors! Tell them which side you're on!"

I could feel the squeezing of his hand on my neck, the continual pressure of the tightening vines around my waist, keeping my hands locked against me.

The static of the mic and speakers ringed in my ear.

That's when Pierce came back.

' **Everyone's listening, Lily. Sorry, I couldn't really communicate well with Sparkles… her brain is… different, to say the least. But Coop wants you to know that special forces are on their way, heroes will be coming shortly too. Shade's army… a lot of them are trapped, like I was. They need to hear something from you, something that won't be interrupted by Shade's hate. I would help, but I figured you'd say your own thing anyway…'**

I took in a deep breath.

' **They feel like there's no other way, that Shade's the only option. They mostly know what they're doing is wrong, but they just don't see another route. Lily, you would have been one of them.'**

I lowered my head.

Shade shook me back up, not letting me take in the gravity of my next actions. Words that could shake the masses. How could I reform so many people in one fell swoop?

' **If you can reach them… which I know you can… you'll be more than a hero, Lily. You'll be an inspiration.'**

I let the first thing that came to my mind out, "Rocketman tried to save Dark Destiny." I felt the vines jerk, but I didn't look up at Shade. "Rocketman offered his hand, but Dark Destiny swiped it away. Accepting his defeat in his pride. He wanted to be a villain, he liked it." I closed my eyes, feeling the tension on my neck start to ache. "He was a villain… even unto himself."

I was thrown down.

"But that's not all!" I shouted out, kicking against the lashing vines. "Heroes aren't all bad, just like villains aren't all bad! The people you care about most make bad decisions, but that doesn't mean they're bad people!" I bit a vine that dared tried to wrap around my head.

It didn't stop it, it just moved across my teeth and mouth, growing to loop around my head and silence me.

' **Lily, you have to keep talking!'** Pierce cried out.  **'They need to hear you!'**

I gasped when the vines threw me up and slammed me down. It hurt so much, the scrapes and red marks from the lashing stung against my skin. But I played possum, waiting…

When they started to depart, I spoke again, much louder and faster this time.

"Shade doesn't scare me! If I want to change the world, I change my own heart! I look for those who will do the same to make this world a better place! I will do  _anything_  to save them! To save everyone! I won't let even one heart that wants to change go unheard! Some people don't want to be saved… but others are just waiting for it! They want to save themselves! But they need help! They need  _me_!" I threw up my leg to kick a vine but it was strong enough to hit me back down.

I looked to Shade, struggling as the vines began pinning me down. He looked like he was watching a mouse struggle against a cat. Emotionlessly following my struggles with his eyes but showing nothing more than pity.

"I will save Jet!" I was completely immobilized as the vines looped around my head again.

"…The better future you want… doesn't exists. People only have desires and fears. You can't save anyone." He seemed to have been waiting for me to do something, use my powers, anything. When I didn't, I realized that look of pity was really one of disappointment.

He wanted a fight.

And I didn't give him one to his satisfaction.

"This is what happens when heroes brainwash us to believe only their solutions are just and sound… pledge loyalty to them… and when you go against their precious laws?" He grabbed me from under the mass of darkness, having melted into one and trapping me in total oblivion. When he pulled me out, I was too terrified and hurt to say anything more. "…They just toss us to the side… there is no one to protect you except those who call you friend regardless of where you align yourself." His eyes kept wavering over my exhausted frame as though he didn't want to let me go. However, he still tossed me, letting me hit the ground as his darkness all fled back to him.

He grabbed the mic, "The takeover of the century starts now. I'm declaring war on hypocrites! On murderers and all Super and Non-Super kind that won't submit to our ideals! We're taking Koleroy tonight!"

A massive attack? What was he thinking? There's going to be heroes and police surrounding this junkyard any minute now. Kids verses Superheroes? It would be like a massacre.

"N-no..!" I reached up, "They're coming..! You'll all get hurt… if you care about yourselves, live to free, not to enslave!"

He kicked me down again. I felt my stomach turn and coughed. I had never been beaten down like this before. Without Sparkles… was I really nothing more than a human?

"There's nothing clever about you." He knocked the mic down, creating a huge commotion on the intercom.

"Achk…" I covered my ears.

"…You were supposed to be the key, Lily." He looked away, "You were supposed to help me bring everyone together. My only weakness… tamed. No one would be able to stop us…"

Someone slam the door open, I could barely turn my head before I heard chains sliding against the ground.

"Get rid of her." Shade instructed as he descended the stage.

"Show's over." He slashed the air, summoning a dark vine to strike like a whip and disconnect the wire that led to the microphone.

It blipped out and started ringing static again.

It was mind-numbing, the sound.

Rahfel holds up his chains, each one spreading out like an eagle opening its wings.

"…What…" I could barely speak through all the stimuli. The pain, the sound, the blurry vision… "What do you want… Rahfel..? What are you looking for..? Hoping… for…"

My eyes watered and I felt them grow heavy. The last thing I heard was chain rattle before seeing silver get launched towards me. Then…  _a bright light_.


	18. Grey Ambitions

**Colors**

Ch. 18

Grey Ambitions

By: Cutegirlmayra (I’m just trying to get this done before the Capstone time-limit is up. Sorry if it seems rushed, but I’m just trying to hustle to each plot point. I’ll probably rewrite the whole story later on after hearing how much needs to be done for it to be published, but hey! How many people can say they wrote the first write-up of a novel? I think I made it this far, just gotta organize things better and write something truly amazing. This chapter or the next will most likely be the last. Thank you for your patience with me and I hope you enjoy… the exciting conclusion… of Colors!)

_Light…_

_Then my hand moved on its own, summoning the color of the long drapes to shield me from the chains, hitting against the red like a pattering of hard, steel rain._

I rolled my head and felt the sensation of light again. Sparkles must have returned when Shade departed.

_What a good girl…_

“So… you’re Rahfel.” I felt Sparkles giving me strength through light, absorbing it around me to help me feel lighter. With all the pain subsiding, I got back onto my feet.

Rahfel remained quiet, almost indifferent to my powers returning to me.

“So… it’s not connected to you at all.” He finally spoke up.

**‘This is Rahfel. His mind is wondering what he’s seen. He saw a brown rabbit turn into light and move toward you. Then you got your powers back, so now he’s putting two and two together.’**

‘Not again,’ I thought to myself. I didn’t want another person, especially close to Shade, figuring it out so soon.

**‘…Should I tell you how to silence him?’**

There it was. A piece of Pierce’s past seemed to be resurfacing, and I had to nip that in the bud as soon as possible.

‘No, tell me what he wants more than anything. I’ll try and get him to switch sides.’ I readied myself, turning the red color from a shield into a powerful lance.

 **‘What!? He’s the right-hand man of-‘** Pierce was cut-off, and for a moment, I worriedly looked around to try and hear him again.

‘…Pierce?’

“Y-your name’s not connected to me?”

“You know what I meant!” he growled, shaking his chains and throwing some at me with each wide and strong lunge forward.

“So why are you so fixated on Shade’s plan? What has he offered you?” I tried to run and jump out of the way, but Sparkles made a rainbow for me to scale across and I spiraled out of his grasps.

Rahfel reeled himself around and bent his back, shooting the never-ending chains to follow after my ever turn and twist.

“None of your business!” he almost roared out, turning himself around and trying to make sure his chains didn’t tie into the other.

…Oh.

I immediately started that plan, moving so close to him as his chains followed, and successfully watched him consciously trying to ensue they wouldn’t get looped into each other.

His eyes were so fixated on keeping his chains apart that I was able to slip in a comet blast or two on his side and back.

“Grrr…!” he swung around and leaped towards me, his tail gripping my leg and digging its wires like talons into my skin. I was like a fish caught with net around its tail and immediately began flopping on the light stream.

“What’s-your-issue-dude!?” I stated with each bounce of the rainbow light I was riding.

He reached up and grabbed my other ankle with short chains as though that were his hands, frightening me as I purposefully crashed to the ground and surrounded him in light, trying to blind him for a moment but he fought through the light and kept a tight hold on me.

 **‘Sorry, some scouts almost found us.’** Pierce returned, and not a second too late!

‘Pierce, I can’t fight!’ I shouted through my mind. ‘I’m not that kind of hero!’

 **‘Relax, Sparkles will keep you safe, she always has, hasn’t she?’** I could sense the fear in his words, but also the positive hope that laced around them. I nodded, though I was still trying to dig my nail under my one-piece tight suit under his triton wire tail in an attempt to free myself.

 **‘His desire is to not be seen as an animal, to be treated like anyone else.’** Pierce’s words made me look through the light at the boy, possibly older than me, struggling through the blinding light to pull me towards him and get another blow in.

He had fangs, hair like a matted dog, and even his tail resembled a demon. His chains were fitting for an animal persona but if that’s not the image he wanted, I could feel the pain of being misjudged for it.

Switching tactics, I figured the only way to divert his attention from killer to human was to distract him somehow.

I reached toward his face, startling him as his chain let go of my leg and straight to it. I began using my thumbs to brush against his cheeks, “What a good puppy! Who wants to play, huh? Who wants to play?”

The random behavior snapped him out of killer mode, and just like I had hoped, flustered him enough to make him mad and let go. “What!?” he pulled away, getting up and moving back.

I had confused him, so it was time to start convincing… “I’ve seen a video of a beloved companion, a wonderful animal playing with his family and they, in turn, enjoying his company as well.” I remembered the old man, his sons, the dog…

He tilted his head like a puppy too, still trying to understand my words, but getting more and more frustrated when he couldn’t. “What are you talking about!? Fight!”

“No!” I stopped him from even daring to go back to that mentality. “You weren’t created to fight! Humans need friends, Rahfel. Animals mean we’re not alone in this world. They feel and think just like us, but if you really don’t want to be seen as just an animal, then why not just be a good friend?”

His foot stepped forward, readying his chains when his body flinched back and the chains in return lowered from their raised position. It almost resembled a cobra this time, but the chains slowly descended to the floor, sliding back and forth before most of them withdrew back into his long, open sleeves.

“You don’t need to be an animal or a human to just be a good friend.”

Pierce remained silent, but I could feel his presence. He almost let off the impression of being awestruck.

Sparkles thought the threat must have been tamed, because she flew out and turned back into her bunny self. He was fixated on her in the air, like a cat to a bird, as she giggled and flew into my arms, loving on me with head-bumps and nuzzles.

I smiled too, but was worried about him seeing her again. Still, I petted her and did the same motion with my thumbs brushing her furry cheeks as I did to him.

His chains fully dropped to the ground now, stopping all movement as he watched us.

“I’m going to save Jet, but not just him, everybody.” I eyed him carefully after giving Sparkles some attention and love. “I consider everyone worth saving, worth redeeming. Do you really want to be seen as a fighter that never quits till they die? Or as a friend… who would never abandon you, even in the worst of times?”

“…I’ve always longed…” I could see his expression turning softer now, breathing in and out to calm himself as he stared at Sparkles, “to protect something… someone…”

Bingo.

“That sounds almost like a hopeless romantic.” I lovingly teased, seeing the true nature of the boy as one who didn’t want to be used for violence. Like a dog bred to fight, but naturally wanted to be loved in a good home and family. “If you help me rescue Jet and the others, then just like Sparkles who is vastly different-“ I laughed when she licked my cheek. “I’ll also find a place for you, Rahfel. I promise.”

“…Shade makes a lot of offers too…” He began, but rested back a bit and seemed sorrowful. “But he never really keeps his promises.”

“I’m not like Shade.” I stated that firmly, I had to believe it. Even if it meant convincing myself it was so.

He seemed to nod, “I can tell.” And then he smiled, but it looked a creepy with how wide his mouth could actually stretch.

“I don’t really need a place.” He withdrew all his chains, stepping towards me. “Just a den for my heart. If you can promise me people in the real world won’t just hate me, use me like Shade does and disregard my heart, then I’ll happily switch sides and believe you… like Pierce apparently did.”

I paused, and in that moment, chains entangled me again and Sparkles burst into a light and flew into my eyes.

He pulled me closer, and once again, I was ensnared just like Shade and his dark vines. “Can I, for two seconds, not be surrounded and choked by anything!?”

He chuckled.

“Look, Pierce can read minds, right? How would he trust me if he knew I was lying? How would he so willingly leave Shade and risk his wrath if he didn’t know I keep my promises?”

That shook him up, and perfectly evaded his suspicion that I was just following Pierce’s guidance.

He froze a moment, thinking…

 **‘Good job, Lily. Finish the deal.’** Pierce finally spoke up again, used to being the secondary thought it seemed to validate me.

I nodded mentally to him, glad he was with me.

 **‘I’m just glad you’re with _us_**.’ He stressed.

“…Fine.” Rahfel let me go, the chains withdrawing again except for one that he held up to my hand. “I’ll join you, and so will many others. Pierce was good to us. But he also knew Shade. If Pierce believes you can fight and actually help our cause better than Shade ever could, then more will be willing to side with you. Afterall,” He looked directly into my eyes, and I saw the reflection of Sparkles’s tail in his eyes. “You seem to have proven that you act like a true friend to Supers.” He must have thought Sparkles was a Super being, which I guess she was, but she was really just an alien.

Animals in our world… can they be Supers?!

I didn’t get a chance to ask, I only grabbed his chain lightly and felt a light ripple like a whip being cracked, but gentler.

“Deal.” He agreed and looked off to a corridor exit. “Shade’s men are outside, stay behind me and whatever you do-“ he looked behind his shoulder to me as he stepped ahead, “Keep your promises… and avoid Ellie at all cost.” He looked forward again. “There are some kids who don’t care about friendship, just power. Some people here just want to watch the world burn and use the full scale of their powers. Those kids can’t be helped… they have nothing left of a heart.” He continued to stride forward as I held his chain and followed after.

“Jet’s this way, get under and in and you should be safe.” He pulled his chain with my hand closer and opened the other chains to spread the wide sleeves open. I was shocked, the inside of his sleeve looked like nothingness. A black void… but he clearly had a body, so..?

“Uhh…”

He wouldn’t wait for my answer and just had his chains gobble me up into his sleeve, pulling me close to his body—there it was—and wrapping me in a chain ball. Surprisingly, no one questioned his enlarged side, since he seemed to wildly whack his chains around, making people assume he had just produced a huge number of chains there.

**‘They assume he’s preparing for war.’**

I was immediately reminded of Shade announcing an attack, but how long does it take to move out an army? Days, right?

 **‘Not a Super army.’** Brutus’s voice in my head sounded grave. **‘Not with how Shade runs things…’**

I didn’t see how that plan was well thought out, nor how Rahfel thought his plan was any clearer, but after a few moments of him angrily walking and keeping people back, he dropped me off at a door and looked around.

“Jet’s inside. You may have to combat whoever’s in there guarding him.” Rahfel looked around, keeping watch. “I’ll spread your message around. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do what I can without triggering any loyalist to Shade.” He then looked back to me. “…Thanks for a way out of this mess.” He took two chains and squished them on my cheeks, smiling with his fangs sticking out. “Good girl!” he teased and took off down the hall.

Okay, he had every right, I did the same thing to him.

I quickly went to open the door, silently praying that it wasn’t Ellie when…

The second I saw his face, my mouth dropped.

“ _Brutus_ …”

Brutus… it couldn’t be!

He never had any powers, right? Why was he in Shade’s army!?

Brutus turned around, holding a device in his hands as he immediately made the same face I did.

“Li-!” he cut himself off, looking to the open door.

He rushed over to me, frightening me as Sparkles made ready a light shield again but he completely avoided me, moving to close the door.

He helped me come further in and stopped.

“You shouldn’t be here… I admire you for coming to save Jet, just like you said, but you’d be lucky to get out of here with just yourself, let alone Jet, or a couple hundred other kids who might have listened to me.”

“..To me?” I was confused.

“Yeah…” He slowly dragged his hand down the door. “I… I spoke up for you too. Secretly, mind you. Not literally. But everyone believes there’s no way out. If there’s a Shade, then it’ll cover where light can’t touch. They don’t know who else to turn to who can promise them what they’re after like Shade does. He gives them shelter from an otherwise cruel world… Lily, I tried. Honest I did.”

So… Brutus must be Super.

But at least his heart wasn’t with Shade.

I put my hand on his shoulder, smiling.

He grinned back, “…You didn’t say the password.”

I gave him a hug, “You helped stop that kid from killing me, I owe you, Brutus. For everything.”

 

“Heh, seeing another Super take wing? That was something.” He gave one good, mili-second squeeze to tighten the hug before letting me go. “But my ability is to detect power frequencies, determine if something is a threat or not, hostile or friendly. When I felt that wave of light enter you, I knew it was protecting and not after blood. Don’t ask how, I just know. But your power and Shade’s… it’s different, and yet strangely the same pattern.” He pulled away and held up his device. “…I never told him about your powers. I pretended not to know. The delivery kids joined later and told him you worked for us. He never turned to get answers from me though, so I guess we’re lucky about that, huh?”

 

“So… you’ll help me stop Shade?” I waited, determined to believe he was going to help us.

 

“…No.” Brutus turned his gaze away from me, “I can’t fight, but I can help you free Jet. I can’t help you escape, I won’t go any further than that. I need a fallback plan. I’m sorry, Lily. Once I figured out that Colors and you were the same, I told myself I wouldn’t help beyond what I could handle. I have to preserve myself. But just know, I do believe in you. I just don’t want to be involved.” He pressed something on the device and scurried over to what looked like an empty chamber.

 

“…Brutus…” It hurt my heart a bit, how much I understood wanting to protect your own life more than others. But right now… it felt cowardly.

 

I really had changed… the old Koleroy spirit of looking out for yourself wasn’t gonna fly with me now.

 

“Brutus, you’ll regret it. You’ll regret not trying.” I walked behind him, “Trust me, I know.” My voice sank deep, feeling those words.

 

“I didn’t freak out about your powers, Lily.” I heard something trigger, something mechanical. I looked around as Brutus wiped some dirt from his brow, “You don’t need some speech to convince me. You were always a hero at heart. You just let it get buried with all the filth this city heaps onto good souls like us. I never wanted to be a criminal. I never thought of myself as a villain. Not really a ‘hero’ either but…” I could really, truly feel his words. It was like he, out of everyone else in my life, really understood what I had been struggling with for so long. “This is the most I can do. Even without my ability, you can do it. Pierce left after telling me about his impression of you. I was the only one Pierce confided in. There are other kids who depend on me too. I want to protect them. Let me keep trying to convince them here, Lily…”

 

I put my hand on his shoulder, “Good luck.”

 

With that, nothing more needed to be spoken as he pressed another button, and chains began to lower from the ceiling.

 

Then something horrifying.

 

“N-no… Oh my… Jet!” I covered my mouth. “No!”

 

I felt my whole body bleed with each stain of blood I saw on him. His limp body held up by the chains that completely surrounded him. I could feel his hurt. I could feel it as I stared at him.

 

His wobbling, lowered and probably unconscious head swayed as the mechanism finally stopped his descent and he was hanging there before me, completely battered and shattered.

 

I rushed to him, grabbing him and crying, touching his face to get any response out of him. Something to prove there was still time to save him, anything…

 

“Jet… Aldin, Aldin say something. Aldin, I came. I’m here to rescue you…” I felt my whole body want to shut down and cry on him, but I resisted that urge so fervently. I would save him. I had too!

 

“Let him down!” I blared out, consumed in my sorrow as Brutus pressed another button, unable to continue to watch the scene.

 

Jet’s body was released and I caught him at once, using light from Sparkles to hold the full weight of him and lower him to the ground.

 

I swept my hand through his spiked hair, used my thumb to rub off the blood dried from his mouth to his chin. “Jet… Jet, you have to know the truth… please… please don’t go before I can say it back.”

 

But there was nothing. His body was warm though, which surprised me. I looked up where he had been hanging by the thousands of chains around his arms, legs, waist, and having coiled in every which way over his chest.

 

I’m no doctor, I can’t deduce what sort of pain he must have endured.

 

“…Shade spared no expense.” Brutus finally spoke, but my entire being was dedicated to waking Jet up. “…He was so jealous of that kiss, Lily. You really do care about him… don’t you?”

 

I continued to rub my hand over his cheek, coaxing him to wake up. I nodded profusely after a moment, choked up on my own guilt.

 

“If I had listened to him…” I began, “If I had just let him help me… He’d never have been in this mess.” I leaned down to touch my forehead with his, letting his head rest in my lap. “I rejected every attempt he ever made at trying to help me. He never meant any harm. He just wanted what he felt was best for me, and honestly, it wasn’t so bad.” I let myself remember everyone’s kindness at the hero school. “He lent me his friends, which soon became my true friends. He stood by me, even when everyone doubted me as a good person, he knew I was just confused. I never was very fair to him… but he was so patient and kind to me. I do love him, Brutus… but what does that even mean?” I wiped my tears, leaning up. “What does that mean… to someone who’s never known love and kindness before?”

 

Suddenly, I felt movement from my lap, and looked down.

 

“Emm… I knew you had it… for me.”

 

My face flushed red.

 

“J…Jet?”

 

Brutus suddenly let out an abrupt burst of air into his cheeks, covering his mouth to avoid further laughter.

 

I looked to him, then back to Aldin.

 

Aldin slowly rose up, groaning in pain a moment before throwing a thumbs up to Brutus. “Well staged, my good friend. You allowed the players to perform splendidly.”

 

My hands were frozen in place as he stood up, steadying himself and then reaching a hand down to me, “Everyone needs a hero, Colors. But only the very lucky few get a heroine.” He winked.

 

My head slowly rose up… before my fists immediately started rolling into his knees.

 

“He-hey-hey! I’m still not exactly at my A game here! Lily! Stop!” he smiled as I embarrassingly tried to attack him.

 

Brutus finally let the laughter out, “When I felt her coming, you surprised me by stating ‘I’ll play dead!’ and dropped your head. I didn’t know what else you meant to do besides get an honest reaction out of her, haha!” He clutched his stomach.

 

I felt Sparkles’s joy swell inside me, thinking we were playing, and seeming to want to join us.

 

“You’re getting Sparkles wiled up!” I argued.

 

“Oh, sure. Blame your feelings on the rabbit.”

 

I tackled him.

“Woah!” he impressively stood his ground but I could see he was hopping on one leg, so I didn’t fully take him down.

 

I hugged him. Glad his quirks never died. Smelling the dried blood and knowing he was still in danger, but at least he was back.

 

Then it hit me.

 

“Aw, Lily…” He hugged me back, but I quickly shook him off, surprising him.

 

“I’m sorry!” I cried out.

 

“Ha! So serious, calm down, girl.” He looked startled but was still smiling from ear to ear. “I knew you’d come around.” He still played.

 

“No, Jet, oh… Aldin! I really am sorry for all the awful things I put you through!”

 

His joking nature seemed to still down into a reflective state, listening now, and remaining kind.

 

“I love you not because you’re a hero, but because you specifically wanted to do everything in your power to make me happy. Even when I made that impossible. Even when I teased you and yelled at you and made you feel awful about wanting to do so. You just wanted to support me and get me out of a dark place. You just wanted to show me something better than the life I was living. I’m so sorry. You wanted me to laugh and to smile, when all I wanted to do was cry and be upset.”

 

He looked my face over, a silent desire that I could understand now.

 

“…I really do love you… I just don’t know if it’s enough.”

 

He held my arms for a moment, looking me dead in the eye, “…It’s enough, Lily.” He stated, then lightly shook my arms to get the words across even more. “I never asked you to repay me in anyway. I just didn’t want to see a beautiful girl lose all the color in the world because she thought she had control over it all.”

 

I stumbled on my balance, almost falling into his arms at his words.

 

He smiled again and helped me balance, “You wanted so desperately to determine right from wrong. But you refused to look and see that without all the colors, we’d never be able to distinguish the difference in blue and red, yellow and orange, purple and pink.” I nodded, agreeing with him.

 

“And here I thought Richard was keeping them all out of your sights.” I kid, letting some chuckles out.

 

_You scared, Lily?_

What? No, Sparkles. I’m making a joke because I’m happy. I’m really…

 

I looked back up and tilted my head towards the most amazing boy I had ever known.

 

            _Happy._

 

“You don’t want my love?” I joked again, “Because you did earn it.”

 

He smirked and looked away a moment, as if trying to cleverly think of a comeback.

 

“Well, if it’s a gift…” he was blushing… a familiar color I adored with all my heart. “Then it’s really rude to not accept it…”

 

We both seemed to lean in, a moment I very much wanted to claim when…

 

Brutus’s body shook suddenly and he turned to the door, “Run-!” he waved his hands to us. “Run, run, run!” he frantically began but the doors slammed open behind him, stopping his approach towards us.

 

“Brutus! Lower the mongrel down, Shade’s in a bad mood and so am I-!” Suddenly, a short little diva stomped her way in and paused when she saw us all together.

 

Jet completely shifted, standing in front of me with an arm out to protect me. I knew who this was… but my heart cracked at realizing that he now did too.

 

Brutus staggered back, “E-Ellie…”

 

She stood silent for a moment before putting two and two together. “You… little traitor.” She held up her hands. “You think Shade’s forgiving?!”

 

“Ellie, he’s a monster! He doesn’t feel anything for anyone! He-!”

 

“Graahh!” she charged him as Jet took a step forward, wanting to leap into action but ended up falling forward.

 

“Ah..!” he caught himself with his arms but his body was clearly not in any position to fight.

 

“Jet!” I reached for him, but-

 

_Lily! The Bru is gonna get hurt!_

I looked up to see I was too late.

**‘Lily! Ellie’s not holding back, she’ll-!”**

I realized that without Shade or that boy in the glasses to tell Ellie when to stop, that something terrible might happen.

 

I pulled some green out of Jet’s suit, turning it a lighter color as I fired handcuffs around her wrists.

 

But it wasn’t enough.

 

She was stronger than I anticipated, and though her hands were tied, she was still able to continue her mad dash to Brutus and grab his head while he stumbled back to escape.

 

“Ahhh!!!” Brutus let out a horrid cry.

 

“No!” I pulled on the green color and tried to move her hands away, but when they did move, she just strained against it and replaced her hands on his head.

 

Her face didn’t look like a child’s now. It was scary. Deprived of a heart for sure as she watched Brutus fall to his knees, and pass out.

 

“Brutus!!!” I was stuck between wanting to grab Jet or rush to Brutus’s side.

 

Once he fell, she breathed heavily and looked down like a conquering queen.

 

She looked to me and started fighting against the restraints of pure light. I could feel her trying to pull the particles of the light wave apart, but they remained vibrating before I could see sparkling dots start glowing bigger and bigger, moving rapidly back and forth before distancing so far that she broke the green tie and shook her hands free.

 

I gawked a moment. Rahfel was right. Some people can’t be helped…

 

“Did Shade make you like this?” I asked, crouching by Jet as he crawled to Brutus.

 

“Take her out, Lily. Before she sounds any alarms.” He was getting his bearings, and clearly, that friendly act before was because he had enough strength to stand, nothing more.

 

Like a certain bluff with a bride who was also a princess, it seemed he had just enough strength to hopple a bit.

 

“No, I just needed that.” She smirked, licking the side of her lips as she began approaching without so much as a flinch. “Shade only helped me realize my full potential. If it weren’t for you, he’d have already professed his need for me.” She was delusional. Shade was short, but he wasn’t a kid. She wasn’t old enough to understand manipulation, or maybe she just didn’t care.

 

But who wouldn’t care?

 

“Listen to me,” I got up, remembering what Rahfel said as she reeled a hand back.

 

“Don’t want too.” She looked like she was insane… She smiled with saliva dripping from the side of her mouth… what was wrong with her?

 

**‘When she transfers pain to others, she sees it too. She doesn’t feel the pain, but it made her numb with how many times Shade has made her use it to torture information and punish others. She’s become a sort of sadist, where she gets a high from Shade’s minimal praise for the pain she delivers to others, but also a psychopath. She doesn’t feel anymore unless its dealing pain. She was hurt in her past, but she refuses to leak any thoughts out for me to read. When I was working along side her, I was always worried about her condition. She never wanted to stop torturing people, especially when Shade was around…’**

I dodged her first reach for me, “She’s just a kid…” I didn’t want to believe there was a soul unsavable.

 

**‘Lily, you’re not a professional. I think she’s suffering from multiple mental and emotional illnesses. You can’t fight this with words alone.’**

I still didn’t want to give up, but he made a good point.

 

This girl needed medicine and some serious help.

 

“Fine, if you won’t listen to reason.” I threw a comet at her, charging another one while the first flew towards her.

 

It was small would do for a distraction.

 

“Predict where she’ll move.” Jet stated, helping Brutus but watching our fight carefully. “Keep your feet beneath you. You don’t have flying powers.”

 

            _Heh, wrong._

I took to the air on the rainbow, seeing her move to the left, I shot the larger, more powerful comet towards her.

 

“Is that all you can do?” she jumped after me, and I was amazed at how acrobatic she was on the chains, swinging and flipping herself in amazing fleets to get to me in the air.

 

“How the-?”

 

**‘Trained. Shade trained the Super kids he thought had the most potential. He was ruthless in teaching but his intimidation taught obedience. Remember, he did learn how heroes think and fight. Who else to train a rebellion to fight heroes than one who knew their ways?’**

Makes sense, but this sucks!

 

**‘You’re not alone in this fight. She’s heading left.’**

I looked down to see her swing left.

 

**‘Double left to distract and then up. She’s trying to get behind you. Your blind spot.’**

I angled the rainbow like a coba’s head pulling back and shot the comet, knocking her down.

 

She spat her blonde pigtails out of her hair and laughed again. Jumping up, she grabbed more chains and tried to wring them around me.

 

‘What’s she doing now?!’ I struggled to hit them off of me. ‘She can’t transfer her power through anything, right?’

 

**‘She doesn’t have any ability to conduct it through a medium other than her hands. Stay clear of close combat, and you should be alright.’**

“Be aware of your surroundings, Lily!” Jet called, and looking down to him, I was confused on what he meant.

 

What’s around me besides chains and darkness..?

 

_…Oh._

 

I strung the chains she was holding onto and sucked the silver from them, moving them to twirl around her and catch her flexible and springy limps to hold them in place.

 

“W-what!? Grrah!” she tried to fight it, but I entangled her.

 

“Knock her out!” Jet cried out as I saw Brutus finally moving his head around on the ground.

 

His eyes were still white sockets, and I worried her power may have lasting effects.

 

I looked her dead in the eye, as a wild savage looked back at me, throwing a hand out to attempt at reaching for me.

 

“If I make you feel pain,” she spat out, “Then Shade will be happy. Happy with me!”

 

“…No one can be happy in suffering unshared.”

 

She looked enraged, but I don’t think she understood what I meant.

 

“Through suffering, we know what happiness is. Happiness is the avoidance of suffering. You don’t want him to be happy. You don’t want anyone to be happy.”

 

Her face shifted to a child throwing a tantrum, trying to shake out of the chains and pull against them while still reaching a cruel hand toward me.

 

I floated closer on my rainbow, my hair rising as I absorbed the colors from her body. “You want everyone to be as miserable as you are. To feel pain just like you feel pain every day.”

 

Her face looked like she was about to explode.

 

“In order to stop feeling pain, you have to let go. But if you let go, you worry you won’t feel anything.”

 

“…I like…” her face was turning red, but Sparkles’s power immediately took it from her. “ _Helping others feel pain_.”

 

I knew then that Brutus was right. Looking at her cloudy eyes, filled with a haze I couldn’t understand, that this was not something to be cured overnight.

 

I charged up my comet…

 

Her eyes saw the light as she was fading from my vision, her color almost completely drained and looking ghostly when I stopped absorbing it.

 

She laughed.

 

I let the comet slip from my hand as I lowered it back to my side, the flying ball of light slammed into her face and she cried out in the burning sensation it gave.

 

She looked transparent, some of her color still visible as I used some of it to make that comet. I just wanted to knock her out, but it looks like the effect was more a burn than a hit.

 

I let her dangle there, fried as her hair was gone in some parts.

 

She laughed again, letting her head dangle down as I didn’t bother to look back. Someone else would have to attempt at saving her.

 

But I wouldn’t let her die here or anything like that.

 

“Brutus?” I asked Jet.

 

He was looking me over, as if unsure if I was being unfeeling or merciful in that last moment.

 

“He’ll live.” He finally spoke out, “But I have no idea how we’re getting out of here with two injured.”

 

“You won’t, you won’t, you won’t!” Ellie chimed, flopping herself in the chains.

 

“…I got a ride.” I used the rainbow to lift them up on top of it, placing it below and tucking it under them. I did pity her, I did feel bad. But what more could I do?

 

We flew out of the room and got a lot of eyes, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my first real battle and how dangerously close I got to burning someone’s face off. I didn’t know that would be the case, I thought it would be just like with Rahfel or Shade. For some reason, my powers- er, Sparkles’s powers were becoming more my own.

 

I felt them like my own confusing emotions. Sometimes they burned, sometimes they hit hard. Either way, I tried to tap into Sparkles to see what I could figure out for next time.

 

But she was strangely silent.

 

“Focus on the road!” Jet ducked as I came out of autopilot in my mind and ducked a ceiling rafter, looking for a window or something.

 

**‘You’re underground, Lily!’**

“Oh, right.” I charged a huge white blast at the center of my two fingers pointed up and towards eachother, palms facing out.

 

“What are you nuts?! You’ll bury us!” Jet cried out.

 

“It’s only junk, and besides! There’s barely anyone left! They’re all fleeing to join the army or not get attacked by us!”

 

Jet looked down, realizing my observation was right.

 

Half the Supers were leaving, and others were playing defensive.

 

“They’re lost without Shade.” Jet concluded.

 

“No.” I corrected, waiting for the right moment when the comet would reach a bigger state than I had ever let it go before. “They’ve been debilitated. They’re so afraid of not obeying an order from Shade, they don’t think for themselves anymore. Since Shade isn’t here, they don’t want to do anything. They rely too much on commands.”

 

Jet continued to watch, but the blast I released spooked him and he shot a wind force around us to blast debris away.

 

It was only when I ducked that I noticed Jet was also shielding the kids below.

 

I looked back at him, amazed he would exert himself for them as well.

 

“You… you want to save them too?”

 

“They weren’t the only ones who heard your voice.” He grinned through his effort, though I could tell he was about spent.

 

When the crashing finally ceased, he collapsed back on the rainbow, trying to grasp it but having his hand move through it. “Oh, come on!” it was quite comical, him laying on the rainbow ribbon but not having the power to actually grab it.

 

I flew out and looked for any sign of Pierce, seeing directions come to mind and quickly following them.

 

**‘Oh, now you’ll listen to me.’**

‘It’s not that I don’t listen,’ I smirked, ‘It’s that I choose to do things my own way.’

 

**‘What a punk thing to say.’**

I mentally laughed so he could have that raddling around in his head for a moment.

 

I got to the helicopter, carefully disguised behind a black storm cloud, probably with the help of Lady Saint Grace’s pegasus. I carefully helped set Jet and Brutus down as Pierce smiled to me. “You have so many friends and people that believe in you.”

 

“…Why didn’t you tell me about Brutus?” I waited as I knelt by Jet’s side.

 

The helicopter rattled a little, “… I-“ he squirmed further into his seat, “It slipped my mind.”

 

“You and your p-puns.” Brutus shook his head, rubbing it with his hand as Jet looked over to him and smiled.

 

He patted his shoulder, “Pierce told me about Brutus. He then told Brutus about me. Then he filled us each in separately about you and Shade.” Jet looked to Pierce. “It was creepy at first, but he couldn’t get ahold of Sparkles’s odd brain waves. But Brutus sensed Sparkles and thought it was you. He didn’t know what to do, hide or give in, but when Sparkles found me and started licking my face he was really confused, haha!”

 

I looked the boys over, then saw Coop coming in.

 

“He probably told Brutus and forgot to tell you.” Jet defended him, but I still felt that would have been useful information. Still, it made sense why Pierce’s voice was gone so long from my mind.

 

“Thanks Pierce,” I nodded to him, “Brutus,” he nodded to me. “… _Jet_.”

 

“…You know, you sound more into me when you say my real name.” He had that same look in his eyes again… it drew me in but-

 

Coop reached his hand in between us, “Hey, now! You’re pretty friendly all of a sudden.”

 

            _For the love of…_

_Now’s not the time to play dad, Coop!_

“Shade’s already moved out half his army to the lower tier. He’s heading up to the middle.” He looked to me, “And everybody up top is descending down as well. Villains and Heroes alike.”

 

“Working together?” Jet raised an eyebrow.

 

“Hey, some of them kids just so happen to be there’s!” Coop let his accent slip a little. “Ehem,” but quickly recovered, “You kids need to be ready. This is gonna get messy and ugly real quick.”

 

“I admire you, Coop.” Pierce spoke up as we all turned to him. He smiled mischievously, “I wouldn’t dare stick my hand between the tension of those two without fearing they’d tear into it instead of each other.”

 

I wasn’t exactly looking, but from the corner of my eye, I could see that Jet was blushing just as hard as I was.

 

-Shade’s POV-

 

_Imbeciles._

A roar of thunder crossed the heavens as I let my darkness carry me towards the half-reconstructed building my father was crushed under.

 

Passing its side, I saw the tractors and construction tools all littered in the haste of retreat. This land would soon be a battlefield… just like he wanted.

 

“Soon… ever father will be crushed under the weight of my revolution.” I gave a silent word to him, wherever souls depart. If souls exist.

 

“You wouldn’t let a hero save you?” I scoffed, descending to step down and pick up a pebble from the mess around the site. “Then I won’t accept the help of a hero either…” I crushed the pebble, but nothing happened.

 

I summoned all my strength to keep crushing the stone but after a moment my patience ran dry. I flexed my hand and let the darkness lick and swipe at it. Once it was cracked and split enough, I released a portal to suck it into the black hole. I felt it turn into nothingness, crushed and contorted into matter unrecognizably by the human eye.

 

I tightened my fist and looked to the youth that swiftly trailed me with their endless powers all being expressed freely and without restraint.

 

Who said it was right to have rules and laws? They looked excited to finally be out and about without the fear of being forced away from their lives into a tragic system called education.

 

I let the side of my lips curl and walked back up to be hoisted by my darkness into the sky again. The tower I formed was just enough to see the mass bodies of parent and child, foe to friend, stranger to lover fighting it out for the will to live.

 

“We so choose this.” I looked to see a girl morph into a large leviathan, driving into a stream designed by some company building around its entrance and snap her fangs towards a hero.

 

A villain tried to stab her, and then the hero with a two-swords style, but the hero made a sound blast to escape the on-slaughter. Or… so it appeared.

 

I took a strand of my hair and fiddled with it. Heroes and Villains… if they don’t accept our ways, then they die. I’m surprised so many villains are fighting back, actually.

 

I plucked one hair that was unreasonably longer than the others and held it close to my face. “…Jet black… My idea of a joke.” I spoke aloud, recalling my little deception on _Colors._

 

Even in the moment of my glorious reign over the twisted infrastructure of this spoiled society… all I could think of was my dear… Colors.

 

Why does arrogance always pollute the mind of the superior?

 

She would have been perfect if I just snatched her up before that little eyesore spotted her.

 

Of course, he liked her, she’s interesting and fun. She’s just too strong on staying beside herself and no one else. There’s no way to control her, because she is chaos embodied.

 

But that also gave her a charm I found _irresistible._

 

Like sailors trying to tame the sea, I long to pull light into my abyss where only I can admire it.

 

Useful. Light was more than deception, so my father told me. My mother may have hated me, but my father never dared.

 

He knew my power would be useful, and what other love can there be… then being useful to those you serve?

 

Colors doesn’t serve anyone but herself, selfish girl… but then again…

 

I skimmed the rim of my lips, cherishing her face when I took on my true form back at that pathetic hero palace.

 

If heroes rule the skies… why did they insist on being underground for so long?

 

Heh, _shame._

What else could it be?

 

I learned first and foremost that in order to achieve freedom in this world, you must destroy it in others. By releasing their worst fears and greatest hopes, they have no where left to turn too but to a future I design.

 

And I find darkness to be quite unlimiting…

 

My eyes drifted from watching the squabble of good verses evil, as it has gotten rather dull, and continued to move around searching for the bane of all my existence…

 

All my father ever talked about…

 

“Where are you…” I felt the quivering of my vocal chords, like the deep growl of a mountain lion on the hunt for a taste of their favorite kind of blood. Scaling the tops where heaven and earth collide, I peered over the earth from the skies, looking with the same hunger…

 

“Rocketman?”

 

-Lily’s POV-

 

I couldn’t really speak, a lump forming in my throat that blocked all hope to comment on the scene before me.

 

Kids attacking what could possibly be their own kin, the heroes and villains, well into their adult and professional careers, having to punch and fight in order to avoid death.

 

It was like something out of a war book, or the rise of an apocalypse.

 

I saw someone upheave the earth, only for a kid to phase or teleport to multiple different locations and then jump the guy.

 

In a battle like this, it was hard to distinguish hero from villain, except if they clearly dressed the part. But it was hard to even see clear enough down to recognize any clearly famous Supers.

 

There was destruction everywhere, and then, I saw it.

 

We flew so fast passed my building, the top half of it having been completely toppled down behind it and crashing into other buildings. From the looks of the quick fly-by, I could tell that the two first floors were still in tack, mostly… so my hippie den, in the basement level, would still be preserved too.

 

But I could really ever go back there? With everything I’ve experienced up to this point?

 

I just kept my head back in the direction of my previous home, my life away from…

 

My parents lived in the hicks where middle-class stood absently away from the affairs of the world. So dull, so pointless, and without emotion besides the constant bickering and disrespect for each other.

 

I had ran away all my life… looking for something, a mission in life…

 

I looked back towards the helicopter, flying ahead of Lady Saint Grace’s pegasus.

 

It was decided that they go to the downed hero’s school, which was now heavily protected as a safe spot for the injured. Once there, Jet and Brutus could recover with a Super’s healing ability, maybe even just the nurse could do it.

 

Me and Lady Saint Grace would continue to work as a team, our objective to locate Shade…

 

“We shouldn’t engage him.” Grace finally spoke up.

 

“Scarlet,” I stated, my hands on her shoulders, “I have to do something. I can’t just stand around while he leads the world into a world war 7.”

 

She looked over my shoulder, but seemed to understand what I meant.

 

“…Were we too late?” I saw her lower her head as I spoke those words, and wondered if she thought this was worse than that.

 

“Koleroy… is my home.” I began, “It’s not much, but I live here.”

 

Grace said nothing, just looked head.

 

“I won’t give up.” I was convinced, “I won’t let Shade destroy everything. Not everything is bad and needs replacing, and hate is not the way to change the world!”

 

“…No one’s giving up.” Scarlet agreed. “We’re just trying to find a solution.”

 

“Then… the solution is to stop Shade.”

 

“Even with Shade out of the picture, his influence is great enough to start this whole mess. He was undetected by the heroes due to his title of being only a sidekick, but this sidekick has clearly done what no other Super has accomplished before. He rallied so many youth to a cause. It’s a shame it was such a false one…”

 

I looked down again, seeing how careful L.S.G was at weaving through the cloud cover to remain unnoticed. Looking up, you’d swear her pegasus was just another, smaller cloud that happened to move faster and over the other clouds.

 

No one in this battle of ideals looked up to the skies at the moment, the fierce survival of an entire city was at stake. But I knew Shade’s ambition wouldn’t just reach the corners of Koleroy’s tiers. I knew he would climb the steps up to the rest of the world, abandoned and metallic, a true forgotten plane…

 

Then, missiles and other canon fire started littering the skies like backwards rain towards us.

 

The pegasus couldn’t keep its cover forever, and sure enough, we seemed to have flown over a territory they had claimed.

 

“Why’d they spot us!?”

 

“We must be close to their highest defenses.”

 

“No…” I looked to see a black figure upon a large pillar of oily, black vines… Smoke rose around him from the fires of those defending him below.

 

“They would only look up if they were protecting something far more precious.” I moved to turn myself on the side of the maneuvering cloud pegasus as it whined in protest.

 

“What are you doing?” Lady Saint Grace nervously watched as I dropped from my seat, flying through the dense mist of cloud and smoke and holding my breath while I spun to dodge left and right, using light to camouflage me from their sights.

 

I slashed light to push the thousands of firing Supers, or at least a thousand to my untrained and overexaggerating eye, down and away as I summoned a rainbow and began draining some light around me.

 

There wasn’t much to go off of… but the little grass, clothes, and light from the golden sun dispersed through the rising dust was just enough to keep me fueled.

 

I landed to the ground and walked towards the tall throne of Shade. He must have noticed me, but I couldn’t tell at this distance.

 

As I drew closer, Sparkles bending and forming light shields to block any further attacks on me, pushing people away with her light as I focused directly on whatever Shade could do.

 

Some would think I’m multitasking, and I would just laugh at the thought.

 

Two minds controlling the same power equally… at least, it felt equal, but there was something off.

 

My hair glowed too brightly, it was even more yellow than the sun. I couldn’t see any individual strands, they were all blowing like a mass of shimmering light, as though each strand was an attached ray of neon light.

 

My hair became a glowstick without me noticing it.

 

That’s when I saw Shade turn around, his red eyes showing through all other colors and lights around his frame.

 

Was he distracted? Had he really not noticed my entrance?

 

When I turned to see what he was looking at behind me, I noticed that the rainbow had separated itself. Now, there were beautiful, long flowing tails of different bright colors behind me. They trailed after me like a train from a dress, a peacock threatening a dark devil’s reign.

 

But then, I noticed his gaze was still far from that power play Sparkles had engineered behind me. Instead, I heard a sonic boom behind me and turned.

 

_Rocketman._


	19. Chapter 19

**_Colors_ **

Ch. 19

Grey Dies

FINALE

By: Cutegirlmayra (I’ll rewrite the book, this was the first writeup/rough draft, and I want to know what you think could be strengthened for the second go at it. But I enjoyed this story, and I enjoyed your comments and excitement. Thank you for everything!

Please enjoy this last installment of Colors!...

_The prequel…_

_to **Aerial Ace**_.)

It was evident that Shade was more focused on fighting Rocketman than me. He pulled his tower back to bend and fire him out like a sling-shot, zipping by above me like an arrow through the sky towards him.

Rocketman looked serious this time, more than I had seen him before. He was finally taking Shade’s threat seriously, pulling back a fist and punching the air to knock Shade off course.

He walked briskly to me, not even bothering to look back at Shade who was caught by his dark, thick vines that wrapped around him and hung around him like a net from a spider’s web.

“Jet?” He spoke the absolute critical words and nothing more.

Waiting for my reply, I hurriedly spoke what he needed to hear. “Hurt, but fine. Getting care as we speak. Wishes he could be here, trust me.” I made a lighthearted tilt of my head to show the humor in my words, underexaggerating how much I knew it hurt Jet’s pride to be considered a ‘liability’ in his condition.

Rocketman nodded, but I saw Shade get placed on the ground, hunching over as he rose a hand. A ton of dark vines launched themselves up and began to create a spiky mass, forming slowly out into what looked like a deadly spiked lance.

“Richard-“ I reached a hand forward, but Shade hurled the dark spear through the air, “Look out!”

The vibrant bands of light behind me twisted and spun forward over me and Rocketman, immediately leaping out to catch the spear and push against it.

I could feel the tension, my hands flexed as I strained against the force of the spear.

Even Sparkles was trying to push back against Shade’s spear with all her might, I could hear her struggle from within.

“Hang in there…” I encouraged her, speaking through my gritted teeth.

Then Shade burst out a cry, “Quit interfering!”

This was clearly a battle he wanted to have alone, but I could instantly tell this was more an emotional fight than one of revenge.

Something wasn’t right. He was clearly unstable, but more so than before.

Perhaps seeing Rocketman made the difference, but I wasn’t going to let him have his face.

“I won’t stop!” I redirected the angle of the spear, realizing I couldn’t push back against it more than leaving it at a stalemate, and it crashed into the side of the earth.

Immediately after, a metallic ringing vibrated from its impact before the vines quickly untangled and split apart to withdraw back to the shadows.

It misted around the light of the fires though… I wonder…

If they were staying clear of bright lights, maybe I needed to make mine brighter too…

“Leave this to me.” Rocketman stepped towards Shade, lifting a hand to pat the air lightly, as though telling me I wasn’t needed.

That sort of back-handed comment insulted me, but I resisted the urge to get offended. I simply backed down…

Jet looked ready to rumble, but immediately switched to enraged when Rocketman stated,

“ _He’s merely a sidekick_.”

Wait… _Did he really just say that?!_

That idiot! Did he realize what horrors Shade had done!? Has he really got the guts to say that at this point!?

Shade’s nostrils flared, sending shards of dark matter towards Rocketman.

Instantly, Rocketman tried to flick them away with literal flicks from his thumb and pointer finger. Although he did get a few away, the shards thinned themselves out like a flat surface, moving under his powerful, channeled wind blasts and having the darkness spread out in blotches over him.

He held a hand up to examine the phenomenon but soon more kept engulfing or splashing into him.

He struggled, at first ripping at it, reminding me of that thug that me and Coop dealt with back in the sewers. Could Shade control people through darkness?

No, this was different. It wasn’t seeping into Rocketman, it was completely overcoming him.

He blasted light by withdrawing into himself and crying out as he shoot forth air waves that moved through the sky.

I plugged my ears, hearing them ringing.

_Lily! Do something!_

“W-where was Pierce?”

_No time, Lily. Go!_

“You’re the clever one! You do something!” I gestured for an idea, but she remained silent.

I heard something sorrowful in her next words though and didn’t know what they meant.

_I won’t be able to soon… Lily._

“What?” What does that mean!?

I looked back and saw Rocketman shout out in pain as the darkness completely covered him from the inside of his mouth to his eyes.

Dark Destiny was his villain, wasn’t he? Why didn’t he have a strategy for this?

Then again, Shade must have known his father lost to Rocketman plenty of times, maybe this was his counterattack.

Shade certainly looked confident but also like a mess. His crazed grin letting a few chuckles of relief out every now and then.

Was he that desperate to win..?

Seeing him that way, I felt so much pity for him. Defeating Rocketman wouldn’t solve any of his problems. They were all inside, somewhere he clearly couldn’t touch.

“Alright… I’ll fight.” I pulled every bit of strength that I had left into this.

I pushed every last ounce of light I had and let the ribbons pour into Rocketman, spreading out over the darkness and shoving it to the side as much as it could.

“Ahhh!” Shade’s hands steamed, he had to remove his gloves in a reflex of the burning, revealing how red they had become.

Rocketman stopped shouting, but let his shoulders and head relax down. With Shade distracted, the power was easily overtaken by my own.

Sparkles’s own.

_Our own?_

“You… why are you so convinced they’re right and I’m wrong?” Shade could barely touch his raw skin, still clearly burnt but not on fire anymore. He started to come towards me, “How could you let them deceive you!?” I saw the signs of tears, but watched as he threw his head back and cried out. “Aughh!”

“…Shade, I’ve come to see that it’s not people that are the problem.” I spoke calmly, removing the lights from Rocketman as he was about to attack Shade.

I swung my arm and light threw him across the field and behind a building, pinning him down so I could have this conversation.

He definitely wasn’t one for small talk, but I wouldn’t let him hurt Shade if there was still a way I could save him…

“Heh… are you… still trying to reform _me_?” Shade hunched his back again, laughing softly. “If you joined me… you would realize that people are the problem.”

“It’s ideas, Shade! It’s ideas that bad people make to gain control or power over others! You did the same thing. If people-!”

“Were angels?! A perfect government doesn’t exist, Lily!” He began to throw darkness up into the air, building a cylinder around him. “What happened to your ‘staying neutral’ policy, _underdog_!?” he flung it down as a sea of darkness surfed over the area and began dragging people into its depths.

I jumped on my rainbow, but noticed that other heroes, villains, and kids were all being dropped into it, choking and unable to swim up from it.

“Stop it!” I cried out.

He only shook his head, “Ultimatums are kinda my strong suit.” He rose up on a smaller pillar this time, standing toe to figurative toe with me in the air.

“I don’t know why I bother… but you’ve enchanted me with your eyes just as much as I can with mine.” He stared into my eyes, and I suddenly realized my effect on him too. “I still believe you see things as I do… I also believe that Dr. Ram has polluted your wonderful ideals with a false sense of realism. Who says dreams can’t come true?” He gestured around him, the cries of people suddenly rang up from below the dark sea…

“What are you doing to them!?” I watched in absolute helplessness as they stopped choking, but kept sinking further and further, as though the earth didn’t exist under the ocean of blackness they kept falling through.

I could barely see them now, as they cried out towards the only piece of light they could see… _me_.

He outstretched his hand again, moving in close before touching my cheek and making me flinch.

I was breathing heavily, feeling the sting from the fire’s smoke in my lungs with each frantic gulp I took.

“…Stop resisting it, Lily…” he looked exhausted, but I could finally tell that it was a game.

I knew he wanted me on his side, but I was thoroughly convinced he wanted _Colors_ , not me.

“In the beginning, you said that yin and yang don’t mix.” I said.

He lowered his head but kept his eyes fixated to me, “I also said they couldn’t work together without some conflict, but doesn’t every relationship create some kind of core goal that keeps them steady? Life is that goal. A life we can both create…” He lowered his touch to my hand, pulling it up to him. “Together?” he kissed it lightly, but I could feel the sticky rawness of his burned skin.

“Are you really that forgiving?” I referred to his hands.

He let out a coughed laugh.

“Sorry, Shade.” I removed my hand, “But I came to find that the only way to change the world… is to save it.”

He shook his head, “Don’t make that same mistake.” He spat out, “Don’t say it again. I can’t take your rejection again!”

I slowly… offered my hand.

“Then don’t make me have too.” I whispered lightly, “Just hear my side out. Decide your fate. Dr. Ram said you were unsavable. Prove to me you can change and don’t reject my offer.”

He stared at it.

“Prove that you can let go of control just as much as I had too… That you can learn to make friends, heh. Learn to fight without violence and tyranny. _Show me that its people who are the problem, and not the ideas_.” I twisted his words, “Or let me show you that it’s _the ideas_ , not the boy who just lost his father.”

The line really took him back, as he visually did lean back and his eyes glazed over to the distance, not daring to look at me.

“…Please, Shade.” I came closer, never wavering my hand to him. “I don’t want to give up on you either…”

He closed his eyes, continuing to shake his head as he turned back to me, lifting his hand.

“You’ll have too.” He lifted his hand to reveal the spiraling vortex of the other, contorting dimension in his hand.

I barely had time to react, when I heard Jet crying out my name, and was sucked into the void.

_….How long has this pain been happening?..._

My body was contorted in all unknown ways, twisting and being split like a puzzle before thrown back together and warped, a Picasso painting or something straight out of a nightmare.

The pain had almost made me forget why I was trapped here, how I got sucked into Shade’s black hole space. I remembered Jet’s voice, crying out to me, muffled and almost forgotten as this plane of existence kept shifting me over and over again, repeating its strange horrors and leaving me wanting death.

Still, I wanted to believe Shade could be saved.

Even after all this.

I willowed in the despair that I wasn’t able to save him but gave a prayer that someone could do it. I haven’t prayed in a long time. I was blacking out.

Then… a strange sensation took over my anguished mind.

-Sparkles’s Memory-

“Now, listen carefully, dear girl.”

Dr. Ram?

He was in his lab, tossing something cube-ish from hand to hand.

“You like this? Do you like this? I know you like this one!” he was getting Sparkles, the perspective I figured I was looking out through, all riled up with a tease like a dog and a tennis ball.

“Now then, this is first a reflector… and a replusor.” Dr. Ram giggled to himself, probably knowing that wasn’t a real term. “It magnifies and enhances light. Simply put a light source through here… into this gel…” He pulled out a flashlight, turning the cube into a gel that started blasting the light all around like a disfigured disco ball. However, the main light source was suck in the gel, growing and shining through the clear, floating liquid gel that suddenly released it and the entire room shot up in white.

When Sparkles’s eyes adjusted, I noticed she was ducking under a table, and Dr. Ram rubbing his eyes.

“Sparkle? Where’s my good girl, now, you must remember this. It’s important for Leelee.” He mimicked her strange language, and Sparkles, upon hearing my name, flew out to him once more.

“Bah-soo!” she mimicked the sound the gel had made.

The gel had reformed into a solid square again, and he quickly picked it up.

“Now.” He poked it in his hands. “Now, now, now… how to tell you this…” He looked away, “You’ve been with Lily for a long time…” He turned away and kicked his legs out one after the other with his slow, unbalanced stride. “However, I’ve been keeping taps on you two lately. And my precious dear, I have come to find out some tragic news.”

He about-faced to her, clicking his heels. “As you know, I staged that little match with Colors and Terra. Not that I knew she’d be knocked out or anything, though I figured you’d protect her, but I learned something invaluable that day.”

Sparkles floated up to lick his hair, playing with it as his thin, white hairs swooped into curls with each playful tug of her tongue.

“Now, stop that. This isn’t time the time to be utterly cute.” He held her in his arms and straight out in front of her. “Lily needs to know this. You’re the only one that can save her…” His eyes grew to a deep love as he stared at Sparkles, lightly scratching her ears and making her chime. “You’re such a good girl, Sparkles. You’ve been aware all along, since the beginning, haven’t you?” He nuzzled her nose, and for a moment, I was even smitten at how sweet Dr. Ram was being to her.

“…Every time you and Lily combine forces to slay the figurative dragons in her life… She ends up taking more and more of your light.”

I suddenly didn’t feel anything, I literally felt like a zombie as I predicted the next things he’d say.

“Your very life is in your power, Sparkles. Your tail has shrunk and sparkled less brilliantly… your colors are going mute, while her hair keeps shining brighter blonde with each transformation.” He had to lower his head, letting her go to rub his eyes again.

She grew worried and floated closer to him, but he simply waved her concerns aside. “Oh, no. No, no, don’t worry about me. Just some residual impairment. My vision hurts just a bit from that light explosion, don’t mind me.” He was clearly feeling just as hurt as I was.

“Sometimes, to save those we love, we must sacrifice the ultimate gift we possess.” He held a hand over his mouth and finally moved to a chair, sitting down as Sparkles excitedly landed on his knee, wanting to be bounced like Aldin would do.

She was still too young here, not able to understand fully, I could tell that as much.

Was she reflecting this now? Why could I see her memory? Was this like that one time I conked out and could see what she had done?

“What a good girl, you are.” He sniffed, continuing to love on her like he would a beloved pet. “You saved her, and you’ll do it again without a second’s notice. You love her. She loves you. A beautiful but dangerous friendship. When all your light has been absorbed into her own light, you’ll disappear and become the very sentient power that rest within her. You’ll be non-existent. The power won’t remember or know what ‘Lily’ even means. What ‘Sparkles’ even was. It will be just that, power that Lily will finally, fully control.”

I felt numb, I didn’t want to hear this. Sparkles was going to be _absorbed_!? That’s absorb!

-End of Sparkles memory-

_Lily…_

I was pulled out of the setting, strapped back into the car seat of a never-ending torture ride as Sparkles’s voice sounded clear as day.

Her voice had matured, though still high-pitched, it sounded much more sure of her words than ever before.

_Don’t be sad… Ram was right. I love you. I’ve never left your side since the day you took me in, fed me, and kept me warm. I can never forget the first time a creature helped me, saving me from a strange exile that should have ended me. I may not exist anymore, but my memories are yours to carry now. I will live on in your mind forever. Even when you can’t feel or hear me, I’ll always be in your beautiful mind._

‘No! Shut up! This isn’t happening!’ I couldn’t speak in this world, but I felt my eyes crying at weird angles and ways as I continued to be contorted in this space. ‘You’re not going anywhere! I’ve treated you horribly and I need to make it right! You can’t leave me!’

A flood of memories poured through my mind like a montage of fleeting, happy dreams that zoomed through a life’s worth of precious scenes. Everything played so beautifully, so vivid and clear as though it was my own.

‘Don’t leave me, Sparkles.’ I watched our adventures together, our fallouts, our tender moments. ‘I can’t be super without you. I can’t be happy without you. You’re… my only friend.’

_Even I know that’s no longer true, Lily. You’ve really changed in wonderful ways. You’ve been strong, you’ve been weak, and you’ve been wrong. But now, you’re finally moving towards what’s right. I’ve seen grey, Lily. It’s not worth chasing. My whole planet was grey, both literally and figuratively. I don’t want Shade to make your planet the same… violent, greedy, merciless… where only the strong thrive. I liked your planet. It was fun, it was loving, and it was beautiful. Shade will try to drain all the power from the world, but you must protect these wonderful colors, Lily. You must be the hero… to all the colors of the universe._

I could feel her consciousness slipping, suddenly, I connected so much with a pig crying over a dying mother spider.

‘Sparkles…’ I could feel my power growing stronger, I could see in this darkness and pain a growing light and in that light… _a cube_.

‘I love you, Sparkles… Thank you. For everything.’

The power fully combined with me, blazing my hair alight. I realized that so much power had been within Sparkles, power I didn’t even comprehend. But then again, when did I ever fully comprehend the powers of light?

I was so distraught, that the last fleeting feeling of Sparkles that I had left, was her thrusting me into a ball of light, a signature of hers, and hurling me towards the cube like a comet.

_I love you too… Lily…. Lily…. Lily……………………………………………………………………………………._

As a ball of light, I couldn’t feel the black hole’s distortion. The gel connected my light into thousands of splitting pathways, until I could feel myself expanding and building until I couldn’t suppress it any longer.

‘Sparkles!!!!’ I blasted through the realm, covering everything that was darkness till there was nothing left to suppress me.

-Jet’s POV-

“Lily!”

Shade shook his hand out, looking somewhat conflicted in his actions.

_What? Was he really going to try and pull that one on me?_

I tightened my fist. This wasn’t _heartbreak._ This was _murder._

I flew down and searched the area, “Pierce?” I called, “Are you still connected to Lily?”

 **‘Sorry… I couldn’t reach her at all.’** His voice sounded shaken, it was still weird hearing something in my head. My ears didn’t pick up on anything, it was like my own thoughts without my voice. So strange…

“Then… she’s alone?” I looked to Shade, standing a few yards away from me, still shaking his arm out and not looking at his hand.

 **‘Please don’t talk out loud.’** Was Pierce still afraid of him? **‘And what if I am?’**

So… Even Pierce was feeling uneasy with Lily swallowed up by that freak’s power.

I couldn’t just sit back and watch him pace, I had to ram that fake grief off his lying little-!

**‘I picked up Rocketman’s thoughts not too far away, he was being held back by Lily’s light power, but it vanished with her.’**

‘No one can die from that world, right? I was there, and I came out alright.’ I lightly fibbed, knowing full well what that world had done to me.

**‘…You weren’t in there long enough…’**

My throat constricted. What did he mean by that!?

I threw my hand out, pulling some wind with me. Combined with the smoke, it was a good cover, and I launched myself out to spin kick’em!

**‘Don’t be hasty! Regroup with Rocketman!’**

Impulsively, I weaved my smoky attack to make myself unpredictable, but Shade looked up and immediately his darkness spiked up to protect him.

I whammed my leg into it, feeling the raw pain shot up my leg as I twisted to have the air pressure take most of the impact force.

**‘You’re still not fully recovered!’**

“How could you!?” I spun out of the windy vortex kick, not daring to land on the dark terrain and just flrew through the air to fire more turbine attacks.

He didn’t answer me, we just countered each attack and kept at it. He was a long-ranged attacker, I figured as much from last time, but this time he took in his darkness as a kind of sleek armor around himself and took my hits.

He caught me once, spiraling his darkness around me to try and suffocate me and drag me into the darkness below.

The entire ground seemed to disappear, I was pulled into the abyss and found myself in total darkness.

I fought against the constricting black tentacles, but I couldn’t free myself no matter how many sonic boom punches I threw at it.

I heard voices from below me, but when I looked down to see where they were; _nothingness._

Above me hovered on the real ground was Shade, staring down as I continued to struggle.

More shouting, more calling out for help. “What is this!?” I blared out, “Release Lily!”

“…Is she yours to demand for?” Shade slowly dipped himself into he blackness, looking like he had flown underwater.

He gestured with his hand and suddenly I started choking, grabbing my throat and trying to medically figure out a way to stop the suffocating.

We had training with this before, but not when there wasn’t anything physically present…

As I struggled, Shade came closer. “She chose you… was I too soft? Not forward enough?” He shook his head, “You wouldn’t understand us… how did she relate to the likes of you? You… _heroes and sidekicks_ …” he laughed, “My darkness… her light… we were like moths drawn to the same flame. What were you? Wind? Sky? Freedom, perhaps? I can’t see it. I can’t see a single thing about you that would be more alluring than me.” He swung his arm and I was dipped upside down, feeling the blood start rushing to my head.

“I hate it. But there is something that can quench that hatred, just a little bit.” He cocked his head to the side, letting his hair—almost fading in with the surroundings and making him appear bald—flap to the side as he angled himself vertically. “The fact that you’ll know what she’s feeling. The torture she’s sustaining because of you. You are your _heroic ideals_. They’re her doom. She’ll be tortured, but in my grasp, for the rest of her existence.”

_Does that mean she won’t die?_

Pierce was silent.

“The fact that you now know that. That gives me some satisfaction out of this whole mess.” He straightened us up, adjusting his hair out of his face.

“Such a shame… she was a beauty, too. I wouldn’t have minded a little rebellion from her, but this was just too much.”

I felt myself blacking out, no pun intended when suddenly I heard a blast from above a fire blaze over his darkness.

“What?!” Shade threw himself back and let me fall, getting pulled by his darkness up to the surface again.

I could breathe now, but I was too tried and broken to try.

Then I felt arms around me, big and sturdy, as I was rapidly pulled out of the bottomless pit.

“Keep it together, Jet.”

_Uncle Richard?_

“Sam wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

…He was right.

I thought of my little brother, taking some air in and remembering that I couldn’t give up. I promised the day he died, never to give up on anything.

I had told him he was overreacting. That he wasn’t really that sick. It was just a fever and a cold.

I would never be that nonchalant about anything in my life every again. I was either all in or nothing. I would never take anything as a _light threat_.

When Shade first popped up on his own, I knew something was amiss. I was so ticked off when Richard never listened to my concerns. I wasn’t going to shake his presence off. I couldn’t. I would never ignore anything as a nuisance ever again.

Even with Lily, for Sam’s sake, I never took her as a small thing. If I liked her, and I wanted to save her, then I would put up with everything and do whatever it takes to help her. Even if that meant falling hard for her. I wasn’t going down without an honest and goodly fight.

I still recall when he was bedridden, coughing up a storm and Jankins pouring some water down and then grabbing a napkin to dab his forehead…

 _“Aldin…”_ he had called for me while I was playing some stupid mobile name. _“Aldin…”_

Jankins had turned around to me, _“He’s calling for you, sir.”_ And I begrudgingly got up and fell by his bedside.

 _“What?”_ I called him a crybaby in my head. It was two weeks before he was about to die.

_“Can you… sing the sick song… Mom used to sing to me?”_

I groaned, but Jankins whacked me upside the head.

I sang the song half-heartedly. Three days before he died, I tried to hold myself together as I cried through the song. _You are my sunshine…_

I looked dead into Shade’s eyes, seeing him shaken as the flames had brought up enough light to leave him vulnerable for a moment.

_My only sunshine…_

I thought of Lily. The first time I saw her, how scared she looked. Then that time she teased me, the chase, the first kiss I could land on her…

_You make me happy, when skies are grey._

Rocketman called out an attack I knew by heart, as I grabbed his hand and got into formation, diving up through the air at lightning speeds.

Her smile merged with Sam’s, when he was barely awake, delirious from the fever having taken away the majority of his life, but conscious enough to know I was singing to him.

At least, I hoped he knew.

_You’ll never know, dear. How much I love you…_

We spun down in a mimic of a kamikaze, but it was only a farce, one I could tell Shade hadn’t seen before.

When he wasn’t with his father, he didn’t see how Rocketman faced him. He only knew what he experienced. We had an advantage with this. It was rare we ever pulled it out from under our sleeve either.

Was Uncle Richard finally taking this seriously?

_Please don’t take, my sunshine… away._

 The winds were like a high-powered fan, ramming into him as he tried to retaliate by having his darkness push against the winds and attempt to grab us.

He flatted the slick exterior and launched them at us as we pulled up. The swan dive with out grip on our arms, spinning like a turbine unlatched and we flew off in opposite directions.

_The other night dear, as I lay sleeping…_

Rocketman would have wanted me to regroup for another attack, but I fixed my sights on Shade.

I came charging back to him, at knots I knew I hadn’t trained my super-human body for.

I felt myself blanking out, but if I managed to break through his defenses, I could take him out into that dark abyss below us and maybe shoot him down far enough that he’d be lost for good.

Or the impact would shatter both our bodies into nothingness, either or.

_I dreamt I held you, in my arms._

But then, out of nowhere, I saw a bright light form from his hand.

My eyes widened as he pulled it up to his face. It was trembling as the light cracked through his skin, and he shouted out in pain.

_But when I awoke, dear. I was mistaken…_

That light grew and grew, cracking through his skin as though it was made of china. As it overtook him and my sights, seeing small embers fly off from him, I pulled back at the last second, curving my suicidal, last resort.

I heard a muffled call of my name from Richard, slowed my speed and dodged the buildings to land in a crushed building’s half-intacted window and land on a couch.

_Please don’t take… my sunshine… away…_

I thought I had fainted, if it weren’t for the fact that my mind was stuck on holding my little brother’s limp body, crying my eyes out and refusing to let anyone else touch him.

When I finally got the sense to get up and look out the now shattered fully window, I saw Shade’s whole body had filled up with light, turning him a burning red and his eyes yellow completely, like shining a light through an egg. His veins bulged, lines like a volcano’s lava trailed all over his body.

He was gripping his hand… and then, it opened to blast an explosion of light, engulfing him in it as he became nothing more than flying ash.

_Lily…_

The light formed a being, hair glowing a brilliant gold and arms outstretched out. She stumbled, looking around before threatening to collapse.

I thrusted myself out and flew as fast as I could, catching her like a feather with how fast I halted.

A sonic boom blasted the dark ground it started to dissipate in a ripple effect of my winds.

People began popping up on the ground and looking around, almost as if they had been asleep.

I shook her a moment, “Lily… Lily!” Was she alive!? Was she!?

 **‘She is! My word, she is alive!’** Pierce cried out in absolute ecstatic joy.

“Spa… Sparkles… no… Sparkles…” she was muttering faintly to herself.

“What’s wrong with Sparkles?” I asked, turning her over and then lifting her into my arms.

“Darkness can’t exist in light…” She said, but I didn’t quite follow. “… Sparkles… she… couldn’t exist a second longer… and fully gave her power to me… to preserve my life… she…”

                _What? Sparkles was gone?_

I turned my head. I had to lose another friend?

At least she saved Lily… but still…

At least I didn’t have to say goodbye to her.

“So, Sparkles helped you break free of his world.”

“…Ram.” She could barely open her eyes. Suddenly, her chest began to spring forth light, like sparklers.

“W-woah!” I leaned away from it, feeling the heat coming off of it.

Her eyes suddenly shot open, “SPARKLES!” her eyes blasted out light that blinded me, I had to look away.

“Gah!”

The entire sky filled with light, and any trace of shadow was replaced by her creation of light. It was like a match being lit with striking force, burning up the clouds and hurting my eyes.

When it stopped, she went limp in my arms.

“Where’s…. Shade.” She seemed to be committed to a new goal. I could tell she was upset, trying to rip my hold off of her and sluggishly get to her feet.

“…He’s gone.” I realized she didn’t know.

“What..?” As though she couldn’t hear me, she turned her ear up to my mouth.

“You came out like a blazing comet, Lily.” Pierce, help me out here.

I saw what she was seeing, Pierce showing her the entire thing through me and Rocketman’s vision. **‘Shade was directly connected to that black hole. When you spontaneously burst, channeled from Dr. Ram’s invention, you became a type of wave that was like liquid magma to his skin. He had to release you, but by doing so, you completely consumed him in your light.’**

She fell back into me, having me catch her as I watched her eyes fill with the horror of that realization.

“He was a bad man, Lily.” I didn’t get everything Pierce was showing me, but I knew it must have been a recap of what Lily did to escape. “You aren’t a murder.” But I knew exactly what she was thinking.

Her ideology was to save everyone. Now she must be thinking she committed the ultimate sin.

“You did save us, Lily.” But it clearly wasn’t enough.

I tried to hold her for comfort but she began to cry, grieving as she dug her hands into her face.

I closed my eyes, feeling her kick and cry out—“Sparkles! Sparkles, what did you make me do!?”

“She saved your life!” I tried to counter her sorrow, but I knew she just needed to let it out.

“Jet! Get away from her!”

“Huh?” I opened my eyes… and saw the swirling liquid of color being absorbed from everything around me, the whole of the world being drained into an invisible, almost non-existent looking plane.

It was like they were see-through glass you could only see because of the small, faint black line of a corner turning in.

She shoved me aside while I was distracted by the light show, getting sucked into the tangible whirlpool of colors overhead, surrounding her like the Swan Princess about to transform.

I knew she didn’t have control over this because she clearly didn’t remove her hands to see what she was doing around her.

The effects had people falling down, their color being stripped from them, turning them see-through as well.

“Jet!” Richard disappeared from my sights, reaching out to me, like a loving father.

“Richard!” I called back before seeing my green and black suit fade from my eyes as well. I looked myself over, unable to see anything like those VR simulators.

I could feel I was here, but I couldn’t see it.

“Lily…” I looked up, seeing the circling mass of color and not able to distinguish her in the center of it. “I’ve lost you too many times… I won’t let it happen again!”

I blasted up to grab her, moving through the color to have my color restored to me, holding her as she fought to pull me away.

“No!” she cried out, “Let me go! I’m a monster!”

“This isn’t your fault!”

I heard a helicopter above, but couldn’t see it through the colors, rapidly spinning around me like someone twirling paint around with a brush.

Detective Cooper stuck out his head, but it soon vanished from my sights again, becoming like a glass man. “Calm down, Rainbow! It’s okay! We’re all okay! You won!”

That wouldn’t help. Lily didn’t want to win, she wanted to save.

I looked back at her face, watching as she seemed utterly broken and defeated.

She hadn’t won…

_She very much felt lost._

                _Waiting for someone to try and save her…_

-Lily’s POV-

Sparkles died for me… Dr. Ram died for Art… Shade… he died for his beliefs and ideals.

But in the end… wasn’t it me that killed them all?

Shade came to the school for me, Sparkles died so that her powers could be given to me, and…

_And I straight up murdered Shade to free myself._

“I didn’t mean too… I didn’t… I want her back! I want him back! I want Dr. Ram and-!” This all happened because of death, didn’t it? The sad truth was, that most things seemed to steam on someone’s death. Dark Destiny died, resulting in Shade. Jet’s brother died, resulting in him taking the steps to become a full-fledged hero. Sparkles died so I could be free and fully become Colors. That man who used to sing to Guinevere died, so she didn’t get married and had no children to give her beautiful dress too. The old man with his dog and sons died so I could inhabit his abandoned home.

_What did Shade die for?_

Peace? Hope? A restoration done in a better light?

What even was light… but the absence of darkness…

I plugged my ears, trying to rip away the unwanted touch and just sob. I didn’t really open my eyes, but I heard something was wrong.

Everyone wanted me to calm down. Why? Why should I? Why should people die, why should they fight against being saved? Where was my grey line, where was the purest and truest white that solved everything or the boldest black to compare the light too?

Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. What was I? Was I really the grey I wanted to create? And what’s so great about grey, anyway. What was I fighting for? Was I even really sure about it?

I’ve been fighting for a concept I barely could define, and now, I killed someone for it.

It may not have been on purpose, but I was the cause. What was the purpose in all this!? What was the color I was searching for?

Surrounded by colors… all my life. Seeing them in a different view didn’t change my internal struggle against it. I couldn’t just blend in like all the others, I had to try and make something new, something I thought was rational.

But not this. He was so young. He looked like he could have been my age or maybe a little older. It wasn’t fair. We’re all so young and stupid. The adults are old and stupid. What’s the difference?

What are we all doing this for anyway? If all we ever do is die so another idea can live.

I began to pick up on the soft tones and light puffs of air hitting against my ear from behind me. _Aldin?_

His arms wrapped around me, possibly to comfort me and make it easier for me to listen to his hushed voice.

He took a breath, “Lily… you’re not bad. You may not be perfect either… but you’re not alone in all this.”

I slowly opened my eyes, shocked to see something wet or liquid spiraling around me in all sorts of pastel colors.

I watched as it hit against me as I was just breaking from my fetal position in the air. It wasn’t wet, it only looked wet. I felt the color pass my cheek as it slowly moved in on us, it felt like sunlight moving across a car’s window frame.

It blended and bent as though oil on the surface of water, and I noticed my body was shooting small, changing beams of gentle light out to reflect it out at the surrounding area.

A cocoon? Had I created this?

He spoke again while my tears turned the same color as the ones whipping by us. “You don’t have to go through this by yourself… you’re good, Lily! You’re so good! You’re not trying to hurt anyone and that makes you good!”

Was there ever really grey in my life? There was a home. There were parents I couldn’t understand and didn’t want to end up as. There was a brother who was slowly becoming them. Was it bad? Was it good?

“There is no black and white, Lily.”

I flinched, feeling him instinctively hold his arms tighter around my waist, bending his head down into the crook of my neck and shoulder.

“They’re just another color. We’re all colors. People are colors that change and grow into many shades and tones of light. Sometimes we’re bright, sometimes we’re dim.” He chuckled, “Sometimes… it’s hard to tell if we have light or are carrying the absence of it.”

I was listening now, watching the colors slow their swirling and begin to spread out again.

“People are all sorts of colors, Lily… Don’t take out all the other colors in the world, because it’s all of us that make the world.”

I thought of Kiki, Pierce, Aldin, Scarlet, Detective Coop… so many people I’ve met.

_So many colors…_

“Red, purple, blue, magenta… it’s not bad. None are adherently bad. It’s what makes us human. Let yourself be human, Lily. Let yourself be more than just black, grey, and white. Be something much more fun and beautiful. Be colorful. Express them all at different twists and turns in your life. Don’t just force yourself to stick to all of them, none of them, or some of them at the same time. Give the world it’s colors, Lily. Give yourself to the world of light.”

His calm, soothing voice brought me understanding I had been searching for. A purpose. To protect the colors and help them fit where they belong.

Dr. Ram said Shade could have had a wonderful life with his talents,… there must be many who need someone to help them belong on the candle that helps their light to shine the most.

The colors all flew back to where they belonged. People on the ground sluggishly looked around and at themselves, seeing the color return to their faces, eyes, clothes, and their world around them.

I fell into Aldin’s arms, looking up to him with tears still prevalent in my eyes. “Can you show me?” I submitted completely, “Can you show me all the different colors of this world? And help me find where I belong?”

I could see the shift in his eyes, the subtle twinkle of joy from having been allowed to save me.

I listened. I decided to change my point of view.

For the first time, I looked out at the world with a smile. There was no longer hate and animosity. There was a promise to make this world a better place, see it in a better light.

I didn’t know exactly how to fix it yet, but maybe…

_I should start with me._

_Start figuring out what light I wanted to be._

_What colors I could fill my life with._

**_ ARCHIVE REPORT: The Full Historical Account of C.A.T.S Purpose and Mission Standards. _ **

So, Lily stood outside her parents home, clutching Jet’s hand and deciding to confront her past, so her future could be full of light.

Her family had seen the reports, heard the news, watched her on t.v. With Jet’s help, she gained the courage to visit her family and make things right again.

Dr. Ram’s brain was reported to have been wandering the unknown universe before finally self-combusting, creating—incidentally, an entirely new nebula. Many speculate that the combustion just helped the surrounding elements, but many believe this ‘big bang’ was the essence of Dr. Ram’s power, and that wherever he had obtained it from, was certainly where many people wanted to investigate.

My name is Pierce, and this account I give is true. I later was given permission to perceive Jet, or rather Aldin’s thoughts on this event too, as well as Dr. Ram having allowed me access to his brain well before the events of this occurred. As to all other Points Of View I hope you can forgive me for my lack of writing, perception, or even the small incidents where nothing makes sense. To these individuals, there were many times it didn’t.

This report was asked to be made by the officials here, in this organization known as C.A.T.S. Created on the foundation of Colors’s new purpose, the _Collective Assistance To Supers_ strives to rehabilitate documented Villains into a task force that can do much good. These individuals known as M.I.C.E, for _Mighty Inner Change Experiment_ are those reformed villains who choose to find a place in this world and do much good.

This was the wish of Colors, or rather Lily, who dedicated her life to saving all who would listen to her. Promising a life for them in this world that would welcome their abilities and talents without the need to destroy the world or anything in it.

This document contains different accountings of the beginning of these ideals, or to be more specific, the retelling of Colors’s Origin Story. Thus, you may know why we do what we do.

These are to placed in the archives of the company, but I perceive this to be a prequel if you will to something much more grander in the works…

Someone has been born of Lily’s bloodline. Someone with extortionary powers much like Dr. Ram’s. Many people are curious as to where the alien known as Sparkles gained her amazingly unlimited power, and where they might exploit it.

To stop this conspiracy for the search of ultimate, universal power and to protect the lives of those fallen into deceptive and villainous, criminal lives—we here at C.A.T.S dedicate ourselves to Colors’s vision and motive:

We strive to save the colors of this world, this galaxy, it’s people and creatures, and find a place for all sources of light to coexist in utter and blissful peace.

This child,… I have picked up on her brain signals, similar to Lily’s but constructed like Sparkles to where I can’t fully dive in to read her thoughts exactly… but I predict this child is the key to unlocking the unlimited power that D.O.G.S are after. Invented to rival C.A.T.S, Dastardly Organized Goons Society, has dedicated all their villainy in the pursuit to claim these alien powers as their own.

We must find her. We must protect her. If all must comes down to it, _we must reform her_.

The only thing I could fully read from her, which is taxing and vague for the most part of it, is that she goes by the name…

**_Aerial Ace._ **

****

This is only the beginning.

The opposite of Fin.

 

Début.


End file.
